For Elon Musk fans, it’s the half-trillion dollar bet. The stock market value of Tesla has surged by that much since Donald Trump’s election, and kept climbing last week even as the electric car maker reported disappointed financial results for last year.

Staff of Musk-led DOGE is now embedded at agencies across the government, including the General Services Administration, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Treasury Department

Elon Musk has reportedly become a favorite of far-right circles in recent weeks, stealing the spotlight from the president that helped get him there. In a review of “message boards, encrypted channels,