Elon Musk: Five ways di world richest man change White House

Elon Musk time for di Trump administration don end afta 129 days, and inside dis period, di world richest man carry axe slash di US goment spending, but e also cause plenty ogbonge controversy along di way.

Earlier dis week, di South African-born billionaire, for im social media platform, X, thank President Donald Trump for di period wey im bin work for di Department of Government Efficiency, or Doge.

Trump announce say e go host a news conference for di Oval Office dis Friday wit Musk, and e say: "Dis go be im last day, but not really, bicos e go always, be wit us, helping all di way."

Musk time for goment last just over four months, but im work wit Doge get ogbonge impact not just for di halls of power for Washington - but around di world.

Make we take a look at some of di ways Musk take leave im mark.

Doge ogbonge cut for federal spending

Musk take di job wit di Trump White House wit one mission: to cut goment spending as much as possible.

E begin wit initial target of "at least $2 trillion", but e later come down to $1tn and later $150bn.

To date, Doge claim say dem don save $175bn through a combination of assets sales, lease and grant cancellations, "fraud and improper payment deletion", regulatory savings and reducing 260,000 pipo from di federal workforce wey bin dey 2.3 million.

However, one BBC analysis find say sometimes evidence no dey to support di claims.

Dis mission, sometimes, bin cause plenty wahala, including some examples wia federal judges bin stop mass sackings and give order for goment to take back di employees.

For oda instances, di administration bin dey forced to reverse some sackings.

One ogbonge example na for February dis year wen di administration stop di sacking of hundreds of federal employees wey dey work for di National Nuclear Security Administration, including some wey dia jobs relate to di US nuclear weapons.

Even Musk imsef bin gree say sometimes mistakes must to dey mass sackings.

"We go make mistakes," e tok for February, afta im department mistakenly tink say one region for Mozambique bin dey for di Hamas-controlled Gaza as dem dey cut one aid programme. "But we go act quickly to correct any mistakes."

Di effort of Doge to access data bin also get controversy, particularly di push to get access into sensitive treasury department systems wey dey control di private information of millions of Americans.

Polls show say di cuts to government spending still dey very popular wit many Americans - even though Elon Musk personal popularity don reduce.

Lines no clear between business and politics

Di presence of Musk for di Trump White House bin raise plenty concerns as pipo dey ask questions about potential conflicts of interest, especially bicos Musk na unelected "special government employee" and e get companies wey di US goment be one of dia customers.

Musk corporate empire include big companies wey dey do business wit di US and foreign goments. SpaceX get $22 billion for US goment contracts, according to di chief executive of di company.

Some Democrats also accuse Musk say e take advantage of im position to do business abroad for im satellite internet services firm, Starlink.

Pipo don also accuse di White House say dem help Musk businesses by showcasing Tesla vehicles for di White House lawn for March dis year. Tesla na Elon Musk electric car company.

Musk and Trump don deny any suggestion say im work wit di goment dey conflicted or get any ethical problem.

Support for US isolationism?

Pipo around di world feel di work wey Elon Musk bin do wit Doge well-well afta dem eliminate more dan 80 percent of di programmes wey di US Agency for International Development (USAID) bin dey carry out.

Dis stoppage follow a six-week review by Doge, and afta dat, di rest of USAID programme bin dey absorbed by di State Department.

Di Musk and Doge-led cuts na part of a wider effort by di Trump administration to bring down overseas spending in line wit dia "America First" policy.

Dis cuts to foreign aid bin get ogbonge impact on projects including communal kitchens for Sudan, scholarships for young Afghan women wey dey run from di Taliban, and clinics for transgender people for India.

USAID na also one important instrument of US "soft power" around di world, wey make some critics tok say di scrapping of di agency na sign say American influence for di global stage don dey reduce.

Conspiracies and misinformation

For plenty years, critics bin don dey accuse Elon Musk - and Donald Trump - of spreading baseless conspiracy theories, but di presence of Musk for di White House bin highlight well-well how misinformation don dey enter into di highest levels of di US government.

For example, Musk bin spread one unfounded internet theory say dem don quietly steal US gold reserves from Fort Knox for Kentucky. At one point, Musk even suggest say e go visit di place and do livestream to make sure say di gold dey secured.

More recently, Musk spread di rumours say di white Afrikaner population of South Africa dey face "genocide" for dia home country.

Dis rumour later find dia way into di Oval Office earlier in May during a meeting wey suppose bring down tensions between di US and South Africa.

For dat meeting, Trump show South African President Cyril Ramaphosa videos and articles wey e say na evidence of crimes against Afrikaners.

E show division for inside Trump camp

Musk work for goment also show say tensions plenty for inside di "Trump 2.0" administration.

Even though Trump publicly - and repeatedly - support di work of Musk and Doge, news tori dey plentI about tension between Elon Musk and members of di Trump cabinet who feel say di cuts by Doge dey impact dia agencies.

"Dem get plenty respect for Elon and wetin e dey do, and some disagree a little bit. If no be so, I want make dem speak up," Trump bin tok for one cabinet meeting in February.

At one point, wen dem ask Trump weda any cabinet member bin don express dissatisfaction wit Musk, e turn to di room to ask dem, but nobody speak.

Di announcement say Musk dey comot also happen for di same day wey CBS - BBC US partner - publish part of dia interview wia Musk tok say e dey "disappointed" by Trump "big, beautiful" budget bill.

Di bill include multi-trillion dollar tax breaks and a promise to increase defence spending.

Musk say di bill don "undermine" di work of Doge to cut spending - e show bigger tensions for di Republican Party over di way forward.