Elon Musk leaving Trump administration, capping turbulent tenure

Elon Musk is stepping away from the Trump administration, closing a turbulent chapter marked by controversy, clashing ideologies, and bold reform attempts. His departure, confirmed late Wednesday by a White House official, ends his 130-day stint as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a role he embraced with his trademark bravado but left with mixed results.

Musk announced the move via his social media platform X, thanking President Trump and signaling the end of his time as a special government employee. Though his exit was swift and lacking fanfare - reportedly without a direct conversation with Trump - it was not entirely unexpected. Over the past weeks, tensions had been building within the administration, particularly after Musk publicly criticized Trump’s expansive new tax and budget bill. He argued it increased the federal deficit and undermined DOGE’s mission to streamline government spending.

Behind the scenes, sources say White House aides, including Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, were incensed by Musk’s remarks. The administration scrambled to reassure Republican senators that Trump stood behind the bill, which includes costly provisions like border wall funding and cuts to social welfare programs.

Once considered a powerful force in Trump’s orbit, Musk’s influence had been gradually waning. Early in his role, he gained attention with flashy gestures - like wielding a chainsaw at CPAC to symbolize cutting government bureaucracy - and made sweeping promises to slash $2 trillion in federal spending. But DOGE has so far managed to save only about $175 billion, according to agency figures.

Musk’s tenure was marked by internal conflicts. He reportedly alienated several top cabinet members, clashed with officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and openly insulted trade adviser Peter Navarro. His aggressive push to end telework and make deep staffing cuts faced pushback, especially after Trump reminded his cabinet that such decisions were theirs to make.

Despite these challenges, Musk remained defiant. “The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized,” he said in a recent interview, noting the uphill battle of reforming Washington. On a Tesla earnings call in April, he signaled that he would scale back his government involvement to refocus on his companies.

While Musk’s exit brings his own chapter in government to a close, the DOGE initiative will continue under Trump’s direction. The administration has already cut about 12% of the federal civilian workforce - roughly 260,000 employees - using buyouts, early retirements, and other measures. Still, many of Musk’s reforms faced legal and logistical hurdles, with courts and critics pushing back, and departments struggling with staffing shortages and increased operational costs.

Musk’s parting shot - calling Trump’s budget a “massive spending bill” that deepens the deficit - was seen as a final straw. Sources suggest that this criticism infuriated senior Trump officials and likely accelerated his departure. His political involvement has also drawn investor backlash amid a decline in Tesla’s sales and stock value.

Having poured nearly $300 million into backing Trump and other Republican campaigns, Musk recently said he’s scaling back his political donations. “I think I’ve done enough,” he remarked during a forum in Qatar.

As Elon Musk leaves Washington, his impact remains controversial: a high-profile, high-risk disruptor whose vision for leaner government collided with the political and institutional realities of Washington.