‘Didn’t have any idea what the hell Starlink was’, says Donald Trump during Oval Office farewell to Elon Musk

Donald Trump on Friday admitted he did not know what Starlink was until recently, saying that Elon Musk does not get the credit for everything he has done.

The US President made the remarks as he bid farewell to his adviser, as Musk announced he will step down from his role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“I didn’t have any idea what the hell Starlink was,” Trump admitted, suggesting that Elon Musk is not credited enough for all the work he has done.

He further claimed that Musk saved lives with Starlink after a hurricane decimated parts of North Carolina.

Speaking about Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service, Trump said: “Frankly, I don't think he gets credit for what it's done, but he's a very good person.”

"I look forward to continuing to be a friend and advisor to the president," Musk told reporters after Trump handed a golden key as a gift to the departing leader of DOGE.

The Tesla CEO said he would keep supporting the team that is "relentlessly pursuing a trillion dollars in waste" in reductions that will "benefit the American taxpayer."

He complained about how he has been portrayed, saying: “We became, like, essentially the DOGE bogeyman, where any cut anywhere would be ascribed to DOGE.”

Musk, the world's richest person, has said he is stepping back from his role at the White House to focus on his companies, which include Tesla, SpaceX and social media platform X.

DOGE under Musk's guidance has slashed billions of dollars in government spending, much of it already approved by Congress, including eviscerating the main US agency delivering foreign aid.

A Boston University study said that tens of thousands of people have already died because of the freeze in funding, a finding earlier denied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"We're totally committed to making the DOGE cuts permanent and stopping much more of the waste in the months that come," Trump said.

He said that Musk "is really not leaving" as DOGE is working on further priorities such as "modernization" of the tax-collecting Internal Revenue Service, whose ranks have been slashed.