Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has confirmed his departure from the Trump administration, marking the end of his controversial stint as a special government employee tasked with spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).
In a statement posted on his social media platform X, Musk thanked former US president Donald Trump for the opportunity to lead the Doge initiative, which aimed to slash federal spending and streamline government bureaucracy. “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,” he wrote. “The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
Musk’s temporary role allowed him to serve for up to 130 days a year, a legal provision designed for outside experts contributing to government operations. Sources familiar with the matter told the BBC that the White House began “offboarding” Musk on Wednesday night, with his departure coinciding with his public disapproval of Trump’s newly proposed budget.
The timing of Musk’s exit is significant. Just a day earlier, he had criticised Trump’s budget bill — the legislative centrepiece of the administration’s economic agenda — describing it as fiscally irresponsible. In an interview with CBS, Musk said the bill, which includes sweeping tax breaks and expanded defence funding, would “increase the federal deficit” and “undermines the work” of the Doge programme.
"I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful," Musk quipped. "But I don't know if it could be both."
Initially promising to cut $2 trillion in federal spending, Musk later scaled the target down to $150 billion. The Doge initiative reportedly led to the reduction of approximately 260,000 federal positions out of a 2.3 million-strong civilian workforce, either through layoffs or voluntary redundancy schemes. However, the aggressive downsizing also led to errors — including the mistaken dismissal of personnel from critical agencies like the US nuclear programme. In some cases, courts intervened and ordered reinstatements.
Musk’s tenure in Washington was marred by frequent clashes with senior Trump officials and increasing scrutiny from the public. He announced in April that he would step back from his government responsibilities to refocus on his companies, saying Doge had become “the whipping boy for everything”.
“Something bad would happen anywhere, and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do with it,” he told the Washington Post during a SpaceX event in Texas earlier this week.
The tech mogul’s time in public office has also overlapped with a downturn in his corporate empire. Tesla reported a 13 per cent decline in sales during the first quarter of 2025 — the steepest in its history — and its stock value dropped by as much as 45 per cent before recovering slightly.
The company has since warned shareholders of continuing uncertainty, citing “changing political sentiment” as a potential risk to demand. Musk himself confirmed during an earnings call that his focus would shift back to Tesla, with time devoted to Doge being “significantly reduced”.
Meanwhile, Tesla has faced a wave of protests and vandalism at dealerships and charging stations, with activists linking the brand to Musk’s political affiliations. US Attorney General Pam Bondi described the acts of vandalism as “domestic terrorism”.
Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha earlier this week, Musk reaffirmed his commitment to Tesla, saying he would remain at the company’s helm for the next five years. He also signalled a retreat from politics, noting he would reduce political donations after spending nearly $300 million in support of Trump’s re-election campaign and other Republican causes last year.
