Elon Musk is stepping down from his role in the Trump administration after a headline-grabbing but divisive campaign to slash federal spending.
The Tesla CEO’s exit comes just 130 days into his tenure as a special government employee overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
A White House official confirmed to reporters late Wednesday that Musk’s “off-boarding will begin tonight,” hours after he posted a thank-you message to President Donald Trump on his social platform X. His departure follows growing tension inside the administration and an apparent loss of influence.
Sources say Musk left without speaking to Trump directly. His exit was settled “at a senior staff level,” according to one insider, and followed his sharp criticism of a key Republican tax bill he claimed would undermine DOGE’s cost-cutting mission.
A Disruptive Force Meets Washington’s Walls
Musk’s sudden departure marks the end of a chaotic tenure marked by headline-making moves, cabinet clashes, and a bold—some say reckless—drive to dismantle parts of the federal bureaucracy. Though he claimed DOGE saved $175 billion, Reuters could not independently verify that figure.
Once a rising star in Trump’s inner circle, Musk’s influence has waned in recent months. He clashed with top cabinet officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Sco
tt Bessent, and insulted Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro, calling him a “moron.”
His aggressive stance on slashing the federal workforce—particularly targeting telework policies—ruffled feathers across departments. “A wave of voluntary terminations that we welcome,” Musk had predicted. But Trump’s reminder that cabinet secretaries controlled staffing undermined Musk’s authority.
His bold public persona—once electrifying at events like CPAC, where he waved a red metallic chainsaw to cheers—began to wear thin as internal resistance to his methods grew. Critics say his cuts caused disruption, brain drain in key agencies, and operational bottlenecks.
DOGE has cut about 260,000 federal jobs, a roughly 12% reduction, through buyouts and early retirements. Yet federal courts have occasionally reversed DOGE’s decisions, reinstating agencies the Tesla CEO tried to eliminate.
The final straw appears to have been his televised criticism of the GOP’s latest tax and budget bill. Calling it “massively expensive” and damaging to DOGE’s efforts, Musk publicly undercut Trump’s legislative push—prompting an internal backlash.
Despite his departure, Musk insisted the DOGE mission would “only strengthen over time.” However, with his exit, department heads are expected to reassert budget and staffing control, while maintaining select DOGE infrastructure.
Musk’s move also comes amid pressure from Tesla investors, as the company grapples with falling sales and a sliding stock price. In recent comments, the billionaire indicated he would dial back political involvement—and spending.
“I think I’ve done enough,” he said at a forum in Qatar, after reportedly spending nearly $300 million supporting Trump and GOP candidates.
