After 130 days spent fighting the federal government, Elon Musk turned up with a black eye at the White House on Friday for his last day as a “special government employee.” If you squinted, you could see it: His right eye socket was puffy and empurpled. No doubt about it, that was a big, fat shiner.

Musk said he had "done enough" and that he will step away from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the inner-government group that has slashed federal budgets and workforces. As he prepared his goodbyes, Newsweek looked back at Musk's time in government and asked experts on whether he will have a lasting impact.

Democrats have long called for Elon Musk‘s departure from President Donald Trump‘s administration, but Musk saying goodbye to Washington means the party is also bidding farewell to their bogeyman. Musk’s 130 days as a special government employee,

DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything,” he told the Washington Post. “So, like, something bad would happen anywhere, and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do

Katie Miller played a key role in DOGE and was seen as a major force behind Musk’s political messaging and media presence.

As Mr. Musk entered President Trump’s orbit, his private life grew increasingly tumultuous and his drug use was more intense than previously known.

Musk told an economic gathering that he wants to own more shares of the company in order to hold greater sway in key decisions.

Screenshot via XElon Musk pivoted to damage control in his final days as a "special government employee," publicly recommitting to Mars, cars and robots after a bruising year in the political limelight.