Elon Musk may be stepping away from Washington, but he’s not fading quietly. In an interview with Fox News’ Lara Trump that aired Saturday, the billionaire tech mogul summed up his stint in Trump’s administration with a single word: “No.” That was his answer when asked if he regretted taking the reins at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—a move that earned him everything from media attacks to threats of violence.

“I think it was essential for President Trump to win to ensure that America remained great, and that we reach greater heights,” Musk said, defending both his political pivot and his role leading the federal government’s most aggressive anti-waste crusade in modern history.

Once a donor to Barack Obama, Musk’s dramatic shift didn’t come out of nowhere. He became politically active after witnessing what he called “the most radical-left, crazy administration ever” under Joe Biden. “Whoever controlled the auto pen and teleprompter during the Biden administration was the real president,” he quipped.

Since then, Musk has become a lightning rod—and a wrecking ball—for bloated government programs. As head of DOGE, he’s led a team that uncovered staggering levels of waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal bureaucracy. From padded consultant contracts to phantom departments, his team’s findings have sent shockwaves through the establishment.

But it’s also made him a target.

“We’ve had people shoot up Tesla stores and burn down Tesla cars,” Musk said. “I wasn’t expecting that level of violence, really.” Still, he added with characteristic sarcasm, “At least I didn’t get shot.”

It’s vintage Musk—irreverent, defiant, and undeterred. His critics may see arrogance, but his supporters see grit.

And he’s not done throwing punches. Musk warned that a second Trump loss would have meant the end of the republic as we know it.

“If President Trump had not won, I think the Democrat campaign to import vast numbers of illegal voters would have succeeded,” Musk said. “America would have risked becoming a one-party state from which we could never escape.”

To those who think that sounds extreme, Musk had a message: do your research.

“Some people may be skeptical,” he said, “but the more you look into it, the more you’ll see it’s true.”

Even as he returns full-time to his CEO duties at Tesla and SpaceX, Musk’s political instincts are clearly still sharp. He says he’ll remain engaged—though not necessarily in a formal role. But his tenure at DOGE is already having a lasting impact.

Massive cuts in federal waste. Renewed scrutiny of government agencies. Even a shift in how bureaucratic spending is tracked—all bear his fingerprints.

And for conservatives sick of being told they have to tolerate sky-high spending and DEI dogma from unelected bureaucrats, Musk has become an unlikely champion.

The message he leaves behind is clear: trim the fat, question the narrative, and never back down from a fight worth having.

Because sometimes the guy with the flamethrower is the only one who can clear out the rot.

And in Musk’s case—he’s walking away without a scratch.