Oval and out: Musk and Trump’s farewell marred by disillusionment

Send-off of special government employee', who oversaw Doge, dogged by drug use report and tax bill criticism

Another day, another made-for-great-television encounter between Donald Trump and the media in the Oval Office.

The president, quite perversely, prides himself on the access he grants to a group of professionals he has routinely denounced as the fake news" and enemies of the people" - although any pain suffered from doing so has been eased by widening the net to include formerly fringe rightwing news organizations, who have responded in kind by lobbing friendly questions.