Donald Trump Jokes About Elon Musk: ‘I Can’t Get Him Out of Here’

Donald Trump joked that he could not get Elon Musk “out of here” during a speech at a black-tie event in Mar-a-Lago.
In his first major speaking event since the president-elect’s election victory, Trump praised the “high IQ” of the tech entrepreneur and owner of X, formerly Twitter, during an America First Policy Institute gala in Palm Beach, Florida, on Thursday night.
Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, appears to be becoming increasingly influential in Trump’s inner circle, including reportedly joining the president-elect in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The world’s richest man spent Election Day at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home and is reported to have been a near-constant presence at the Palm Beach resort since the Republican won the race.
Trump has also tapped Musk, alongside former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, to run the Department of Government Efficiency in order to “dismantle” federal bureaucracy and reduce staffing.
“We have a man who has a seriously high IQ. You know, I’m a person that believes in high IQs, and his is about as high as they get,” Trump said. “He launched a rocket three weeks ago, and then he went to Pennsylvania to campaign because he considered this more important than launching rockets that cost billions of dollars.
“What a job he does, and he happens to be a really good guy,” Trump added. “He likes this place. I can’t get him out of here. He just likes this place. And you know what? I like having him here too.”
Newsweek has contacted Trump’s office and Musk, through X, for comment via email.
Trump then quipped about how Musk juggles multiple roles at once. “I’m asking him what do you do best, and we were not able to figure it out,” he said.
Trump announced that Musk and Ramaswamy would lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on November 12. The acronym of the department is a reference to Dogecoin, Musk’s favorite cryptocurrency.
“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies,” Trump said.
Trump-Vance transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt previously told Newsweek: “Elon Musk and President Trump are strong allies and visionary leaders committed to making America great again. Musk’s unique business acumen makes him a once-in-a-generation leader, and his innovative ideas and efficiency will greatly benefit our federal government.”
Trump made a similar joke about not being able to get rid of Musk while addressing House Republicans on Wednesday.
“Elon won’t go home. I can’t get rid of him, at least until I don’t like him,” Trump said.
Musk also appeared at the America First Policy Institute gala on Thursday, where he spoke about the upcoming Republican administration.
“It’s not going to be business as usual. We’re going to shake things up. This is going to be a revolution,” Musk told the audience.
Trump’s other picks for Cabinet roles include Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary and Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz as attorney general.