Trump won't let Musk go after surprising resignation news

USA - Shortly after Elon Musk (53) announced his resignation as an advisor to Donald Trump (78), the US President now wants the tech giant to stay "as long as possible".

Elon Musk (53, l.) and Donald Trump (78) have been working closely together since his return to the presidency.
Elon Musk (53, l.) and Donald Trump (78) have been working closely together since his return to the presidency.  © MANDEL NGAN/ AFP

Trump said this on Thursday.

As the New York Post reported, he also gave several reasons why he would like to keep the SpaceX founder in the White House.

"Number one, I like him. Number two: He's doing a great job. Number three: He's a patriot. (...) I think Elon is great," the president added.

He also said that he knew the 53-year-old would have to leave at some point, as he had a number of companies to run. He did not give an exact date, but hinted at a period of "a few months".

Donald Trump wants to keep Elon Musk in the White House

Elon Musk (53) heads the newly founded "Department of Government Efficiency".
Elon Musk (53) heads the newly founded "Department of Government Efficiency".  © Jeffrey Phelps/AP/dpa

However, Trump emphasized that Musk was welcome to stay "as long as he wants" and that he would also give him another post so that he could be involved in US politics for longer.

Musk's role as a special assistant to the government expires on May 30 anyway - as federal regulations stipulate that special assistants may only be in office for a maximum of 130 days.

He currently heads the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and is tasked with helping the government to stop unnecessary spending and reduce bureaucracy.

The 78-year-old added that DOGE had discovered something "terrible" - but did not yet reveal what it was.