WASHINGTON — Elon Musk has officially stepped away from the Trump administration, bringing to a close his whirlwind four-month stint leading a fierce initiative to slash federal government spending. The billionaire tech mogul, who had already reduced his involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), announced his exit on May 28 through a post on X. His departure coincides with the end of his appointment as a “special government employee,” a role that allowed him to serve up to 130 days annually in the position.
“As my term as a Special Government Employee wraps up, I want to thank President Donald Trump for the chance to tackle wasteful spending,” Musk said. “This mission will only grow stronger as it becomes ingrained throughout government operations.”
A White House official confirmed the transition, telling USA Today, “The offboarding process is underway.”
During his tenure as head of DOGE and senior adviser to the White House, Musk spearheaded a highly contentious campaign to slash government waste and fraud, while pushing for a smaller federal workforce. DOGE, staffed by more than 100 government employees, is expected to continue its operations, but how much influence it will wield without Musk’s star power remains uncertain.
Musk had already started shifting focus back to his business ventures after Tesla — his electric vehicle company — reported financial setbacks amid his polarizing image as Trump’s close ally. In recent days, he appeared in a flurry of media interviews from SpaceX headquarters in South Texas, coinciding with a test flight of the Starship spacecraft.
Just a day before stepping down, Musk publicly broke ranks with Trump by criticizing the massive tax and spending bill that the president had championed as the “big, beautiful bill.” The legislation, which includes elements of Trump’s domestic agenda such as border security and tax cuts, passed the House strictly along party lines and is now headed to the Senate.
“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, because it increases the budget deficit instead of decreasing it, undermining the work the DOGE team has done,” Musk told CBS Sunday Morning on May 27.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the bill could add $3.8 trillion to the national debt over the next decade.
“I think a bill can be big or beautiful, but I don’t know if it can be both. That’s just my personal opinion,” Musk said during the interview.
As the richest person on Earth and a major Republican donor who helped fund Trump’s 2024 campaign, Musk announced last week he plans to significantly scale back his political contributions in upcoming elections, opting instead to concentrate on his business interests.
“In terms of political spending, I’m going to dial it back a lot going forward,” Musk said on May 20 at the Bloomberg News Qatar Economic Forum. “I feel like I’ve done enough.”
DOGE has claimed to have saved the federal government over $175 billion through various cuts. However, critics have often pointed out that these savings figures are sometimes overstated or misleading. Under Musk’s leadership, the office has dismantled entire federal agencies, canceled government contracts, and been linked to the layoffs of tens of thousands of federal workers.
Despite his departure, Musk minimized concerns about DOGE’s future without him during a recent interview with USA TODAY and other outlets.
“Is Buddha necessary for Buddhism to survive?” Musk asked when pressed about who would fill his shoes. “DOGE isn’t about one person — it’s a way of life.”
In summary, Elon Musk’s tenure in the Trump administration was marked by aggressive efforts to shrink government spending and workforce. Though his role has ended, the reforms he championed and the controversies they sparked continue to shape conversations about the future of federal efficiency and fiscal responsibility.
