What just happened? Elon Musk has announced that he is leaving the White House. His 130 days of service as a special government employee are about to end, but the departure comes just as the Tesla CEO said he was "disappointed" with Trump's budget and claimed DOGE had become the "whipping boy for everything." He also lamented the backlash against Tesla since his move into politics.
In a post on his X platform, Musk thanked Trump for "the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending." He added that DOGE's mission to cut government costs will only strengthen over time.
As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending.
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 29, 2025
The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.
Musk's role as a special government employee allowed him to work a federal job for 130 days each year. Starting from the date of Trump's inauguration, that would make May 30 Musk's last day.
But the timing of Musk's announcement comes after he criticized Trump's tax spending bill, known as "One Big Beautiful Bill Act." The world's richest person told CBS News that he was "disappointed" by the bill as it increases the budget deficit and undermines the work that DOGE is doing. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill would increase the deficit by $3.8 trillion by 2034.
"I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful," Musk said, "but I don't know if it can be both. My personal opinion."
Musk's role as head of DOGE and closeness to Trump have seen some of his companies, especially Tesla, suffer as a result. The EV maker's sales in Europe were down 50% last month. There have also been protests and even attacks on dealerships.
In a recent interview with The Washington Post, Musk spoke about the incidents. "People were burning Teslas. Why would you do that? That's really uncool," he said.
Several Tesla investors have complained about the time Musk spends at DOGE taking him away from important duties at the company. The Wall Street Journal reported at the start of the month that Tesla's board was seeking a replacement CEO, but this was vehemently denied by both Tesla and Musk.
In the same WP interview, Musk addressed the problems DOGE faced in its cost-cutting mission. "The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized," he said. "I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in D.C., to say the least."
He also complained about the response to the cuts DOGE has made. The agency has reduced the federal civilian workforce by an estimated 260,000 employees – out of a total of 2.3 million – through job cuts or redundancy agreements.
"DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything," he said. "So, like, something bad would happen anywhere, and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do with it."
Reports from earlier today claim that during Trump's visit to the Middle East this month, when he announced the multibillion-dollar AI partnerships between US companies and Gulf nations, Musk rushed to the region to try to block the deal unless it included his own xAI company. The agreement included OpenAI, which Musk continues to sue.
In the coming days, legacy media will try to convince you that President Trump and Elon Musk are no longer friends and that's why Musk left.
– DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) May 29, 2025
What they won't tell you is that Elon was a Special Government Employee, limited to 130 days of service and that term ends tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/blNzVm9Gnd
Musk is adamant that his departure is solely due to his 130-day tenure coming to an end, and has nothing to do with an apparent rift with Trump.
Elon Musk leaves government role amid Tesla struggles, budget backlash, and DOGE drama
