The press conference marking Elon Musk’s departure from the Trump administration wasn’t your typical sendoff.
It opened with a curveball only Trump would throw.
Sitting beside Elon Musk in the Oval Office, Trump kicked things off by praising Musk for his DOGE efforts, before turning the cameras to CNBC.
“It’s an honor to be with Elon, who’s my friend and he’s done a fantastic job. He didn’t need this,” Trump said.
“And we find that government’s a little nasty on occasion.”
Then, in classic Trump style, he gave the media something to chew on.
“I think what I’ll do, if you don’t mind. Numbers have just come out which are rather extraordinary, and I thought I’d play a tape of one of the people who I’ve respected over the years—Joe Kernen and Rick Santelli.”
“This just came out and we’ll just play that for a second.”
The clip spotlighted rising personal income and a trade deficit that had been cut in half.
Trump made sure every lens in the room caught it.