Billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk is stepping down from his role in the Trump administration, concluding a controversial and turbulent stint as head of a high-profile government efficiency initiative. Musk’s departure follows a series of agency shakeups and cost-cutting proposals that ultimately failed to deliver the sweeping fiscal savings he had promised.
A White House official said that Musk’s “off-boarding will begin tonight.” Earlier in the day, Musk took to his social media platform, X, to thank President Donald Trump, marking the end of his tenure as a special government employee with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The departure was abrupt and lacked formalities. Musk did not meet directly with Trump to discuss his resignation, a source familiar with the matter revealed. Instead, the decision was made at a senior staff level.
Though the exact reasons for his exit remain unclear, it came just one day after Musk publicly criticized Trump’s flagship tax legislation. Musk slammed the bill as overly costly and warned it would undermine the efficiency goals set for DOGE.
That criticism reportedly ruffled feathers within the administration. According to sources, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and other senior White House officials were angered by Musk’s remarks, prompting the administration to reassure GOP senators of Trump’s continued backing for the bill.
Musk’s influence, once towering in Trump’s inner circle, had gradually diminished. Initially embraced for his aggressive, norm-breaking style, Musk quickly became a disruptive presence. At February’s Conservative Political Action Conference, he drew cheers wielding a red metallic chainsaw, symbolically aimed at federal bureaucracy.
On the campaign trail, Musk had promised DOGE would slash at least $2 trillion in federal spending. He was openly critical of the federal workforce and advocated for ending remote work policies introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, predicting they would lead to a wave of resignations.
However, internal resistance grew. Several cabinet members who had welcomed Musk’s outsider energy began pushing back against his aggressive staffing cuts. Trump himself reminded his team in March that department heads—not Musk—held final authority on personnel decisions.
Musk clashed with key administration figures, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He also took aim at Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro, calling him a “moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks”—insults Navarro brushed off.
Amid growing tension and his own frustrations with bureaucratic limits, Musk had begun signaling his government exit for weeks. During an April 22 Tesla earnings call, he announced plans to scale back his government involvement to focus more on his companies.
Musk’s 130-day term in government was due to end around May 30. Despite his exit, the administration says DOGE will continue its mission to streamline government operations.
“The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” Musk said.
DOGE has already facilitated the departure of approximately 260,000 federal civilian employees—nearly 12% of the 2.3 million-strong workforce—through buyouts, early retirements, and termination threats.
Musk’s final break with the administration came just hours after he criticized the cost of Republican tax and budget proposals currently before Congress.
