President Donald Trump sought to shut down swirling rumors about Elon Musk’s potential departure from the administration, delivering a full-throated defense of his embattled advisor while teasing a mysterious and “horrible” new discovery uncovered by their government overhaul initiative.

Speaking to reporters during a flight aboard Air Force One, Trump described Musk as “fantastic,” “a patriot,” and “a smart person,” and insisted he hopes the billionaire entrepreneur remains in his orbit “as long as possible.”

“Elon is fantastic. He’s a patriot. I think it’s a shame what they’re doing to him with his car company. It’s a great car, great product. It tells you what a patriot he is,” Trump said, lavishing praise on Musk’s contributions both to the private sector and to his government initiative, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The president hinted that DOGE and Musk had just uncovered a significant — and as yet unrevealed — scandal as part of their sweeping audit of federal spending.

“We found hundreds — think of it — hundreds of millions of dollars of fraud and abuse and waste. They are still going. They are going strong. They found something today that is horrible. It is horrible,” Trump said, refusing to elaborate but promising more details “soon.”

The president declined to provide a firm timeline for Musk’s expected exit but suggested the tech mogul may step away from his advisory role “within a few months” to focus on his many business ventures.

“I would say Elon will stay for a certain period of time, and then he’s going to want to get back to his businesses full-time,” Trump said. “But he’s done a fantastic job.”

The president also revealed he’s open to appointing Musk to a formal position.

“I would. I think Elon’s great. But he also has a company to run — or a number of companies to run,” he said.

Trump’s comments come on the heels of a Politico report claiming the president has been privately telling allies that Musk’s time in the administration is winding down and that DOGE, the agency Musk helped spearhead, would soon take a lower profile.

White House officials, including Vice President JD Vance, have dismissed that narrative, insisting that Musk remains a key advisor and that his role at DOGE was always meant to be temporary.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)