Elon Musk leaves Trump administration after contentious tenure - The Washington Post

Billionaire Elon Musk listens to President Donald Trump during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on March 24. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)ByNiha MasihandTrisha ThadaniElon Musk, a key adviser to President Donald Trump who oversaw the U.S. DOGE Service, said Wednesday that he is leaving the administration after leading acontentiouseffort to reshape the federal bureaucracy and slash government spending.Muskwroteon his social media platform, X, that his “scheduled time” as a special government employee had come to an end.That designation, which exempts him from financial disclosure and conflict-of-interest rules that apply to full-time government workers, also means he isnot permittedto work more than 130 days in a 365-day period.In the post, Musk thanked Trump for the “opportunity to reduce wasteful spending” and said DOGE’s “mission will only strengthen over time.”A White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed Musk’s departure and said his offboarding will begin Wednesday night.AdvertisementA day earlier, in a major break with the president and Republicans, Musk said he did not approve of Trump’s spending bill — officially known as the One Big Beautiful Bill — with its massive tax cuts.“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,” Musk said in an interview withCBS News.Trump — who in February sat alongside Musk for a Fox News interview that saw the two menpraise each other effusively— has yet to comment on Musk’s departure, though the president has posted unrelated memes and video on social media since Musk’s announcement.Skip to end of carouselTrump presidencyFollowlive updates on the Trump administration. We’re trackingTrump’s progress on campaign promisesandlegal challenges to his executive orders and actions.End of carouselFor weeks, Musk has signaled that he plans to wind down his government work and refocus on his companies. Privately, he has grown frustrated with the challenges of achieving results within the federal government, along with the backlash he has faced — both personally and toward Tesla, his electric-vehicle company, The Washington Post hasreported.AdvertisementTesla suffered a 71 percent dip in profits and a double-digit slide in sales during the first quarter of the year compared with the same period last year. Experts and analysts have largely attributed the company’s woes to Musk’s controversial role within the Trump administration, as he oversaw sweeping layoffs and budget cuts in the federal government.In aninterview with The Post this week, Musk lamented the criticism aimed at DOGE and the reputational hit his companies took during his time at the agency. He also said his efforts to cut the size of the federal government proved far tougher than he had expected.“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.”AdvertisementIn February, a Washington Post analysis found that DOGE — which stands for the Department of Government Efficiency — had significantly overstated its claim of$55 billionin federal savings. That figure included more than 1,100 contracts that the agency said it had canceled, but many of those were already completed and fully paid. DOGE modified the data after its release that month and cut its originally listed savings by $9.3 billion.DOGE has caused chaos in the federal bureaucracy, as its push toeliminate jobs and programsnot ideologically aligned with Trump administration goals has resulted in entire departments and agencies effectively being wiped out and mass firings that havetraumatized government workers.Federal unions and public interest groups have alleged in alawsuitthat DOGE isviolating ruleson transparency, disclosure and hiring. Separately,14 states have sued, claiming Musk was improperly appointed.AdvertisementRep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), who hascalledfor Musk to be fired, said in a statement that his departure was a win for working people. “We will have to keep up the pressure, scrutiny, and eventually formal oversight until we finally take back our government from Musk and the entire billionaire class,” he said.Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) defended the billionaire’s work with the government in an interview Wednesday with Fox News, noting that it had come at a personal cost — including death threats. “The American people ought to be saying to Elon, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you,’”Cruz said.For years, congressional Republicans criticized "unelected bureaucrats" in the executive branch. Now, they are applauding Elon Musk's unilateral actions. (Video: JM Rieger/The Washington Post, Photo: Matt McClain/The Washington Post)As Musk winds down his formal role with the Trump administration, it is unclear how the world’s richest man will continue to engage with Washington. Musk has numerous business ties to the federal government, including major contracts for Starlink and SpaceX.AdvertisementMeanwhile, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hasongoing investigationsinto Tesla and crashes involving its assisted-driving technology.Tesla plans to launch afully self-driving carin Austin next month, which Musk has said is critical for the future of the company. SpaceX, meanwhile, experiencedanother setbackthis week after it held another test flight of Starship, a rocket that Musk hopes will one day take humans to Mars. The initial launch was successful, but the spacecraft eventually lost control and exploded in the air.As his companies hit critical junctures, Musk said in an interviewwith Ars Technicathat he “probably did spend a bit too much time on politics” over the past year — a notable remark from a man who was the largest donor of the 2024 presidential cycle and pouredat least $288 millioninto helping elect Trump and other candidates.Musk was widely expected to take on a similar role during the midterm elections and in 2028. That prospect is now unclear, though he did leave the door slightly open.“If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it,” Musk said at the Qatar Economic Forum last week. “I don’t currently see a reason.”Trump presidencyFollowlive updates on the Trump administration. We’re tracking President DonaldTrump’s progress on campaign promisesandlegal challenges to his executive orders and actions.Tariffs and the economy:China and the United States agreed to lower tariffson goods from each other’s countries for 90 days. Trump’s10 percent “universal” tariff on all importsis still in place. Here’swhat led to the decision to ease tariffs on China.First 100 days:Trump is facing growing opposition to his ambitious and controversial agenda, with hisapproval rating in decline, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll. But inside the White House,Trump’s team isn’t dissuaded. Here’s a look atTrump’s first 100 days in 10 charts.Harvard feud:The Trump administrationterminated $450 million in federal funding to Harvard University, the latest round in the battlebetween the administration and the Ivy League university. Harvard sued the Trump administration after itfroze more than $2 billioninfederal fundingafter the school refused to make sweeping changes to its governance, admissions and hiring practices.Federal workers:The Trump administration continues to work to downsize the federal government, eliminating thousands of jobs at agencies includingthe Department of Health and Human Services,USAID,the IRS, theSocial Security Administration,the Education Department,the Defense Department, theNational Weather Service, and theNational Park Service.Trump administrationHAND CURATEDPatrick Svitek,Amy B WangandMaegan VazquezTrade court blocks Trump’s tariffs, saying they are illegalEarlier todayJulian MarkTrump administration moves to upend $37B affirmative action programMay 28, 2025María Luisa PaúlHe begged Trump not to deport him in a viral song. ICE detained him.May 28, 2025View 3 more storiesView 3 more storiesSign up

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