Elon Musk leaving Trump administration, White House official says

WASHINGTON: Billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk is leaving the Trump administration after leading a tumultuous efficiency drive during which he upended several federal agencies but failed to deliver the generational savings he had sought.

A White House official told Reuters on Wednesday night that it was accurate Musk is leaving the administration and his “off-boarding will begin tonight.”

Musk earlier on Wednesday took to his social media platform X to thank President Donald Trump as his time as a special government employee with the Department of Government Efficiency draws to an end.

His departure was quick and unceremonious. He did not have a formal conversation with Trump before announcing his departure, according to a source with knowledge of the matter, who added that his exit was decided “at a senior staff level.”

While the precise circumstances around his exit were not immediately clear, he leaves a day after criticizing the Trump’s marquee tax bill, calling it too expensive and a measure that would undermine his work with the U.S. DOGE Service.

Over the last several weeks, he had butted heads in private with some cabinet-level officials. He publicly attacked White House trade adviser Peter Navarro as a “moron” for dismissing Musk’s push for “zero tariffs” between the U.S. and Europe.

DOGE GOES ON

Musk’s 130-day mandate as a special government employee in the Trump administration was set to expire around May 30. The administration has said DOGE’s efforts to restructure and shrink the federal government will continue.

“The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” Musk said.

Trump and DOGE have managed to cut nearly 12%, or 260,000, of the 2.3 million-strong federal civilian workforce largely through threats of firings, buyouts and early retirement offers, a Reuters review of agency departures found.

Musk on Tuesday criticized the price tag of Republicans’ tax and budget legislation making its way through Congress.

“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Elon Musk told CBS News.

His political activities have drawn protests and some investors have called for him to leave his work as Trump’s adviser and more closely manage Tesla, which has seen falls in sales and its stock price.

Musk, the world’s richest person, has defended his role as an unelected official who was granted unprecedented authority by Trump to dismantle parts of the U.S. government.

Having spent nearly $300 million to back Trump’s presidential campaign and other Republicans last year, he said earlier this month he would substantially cut his political spending.

“I think I’ve done enough,” Musk said at an economic forum in Qatar.

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