Musk's reputation, and that of brands like Tesla, took a hit as he became a consistent figure in the White House—notably as a "special government employee" heading the Department of Government Effici...

Thousands of people were indiscriminately laid off or pushed out — hundreds of whom had to be rehired — and some federal agencies were eviscerated.

Trump defended his agenda by talking about the delicate politics involved with negotiating the legislation: “I’m not happy about certain aspects of it, but I’m thrilled by other aspects of it.”