Elon Musk has announced he is leaving his role in the Trump administration after playing a leading part in the contentious effort to reduce the size of the US government, which resulted in thousands of federal positions being cut.
In a message posted on his social media platform X, Musk, the world’s richest person, expressed gratitude to Trump for the chance to help manage the Department of Government Efficiency, nicknamed Doge.
According to the BBC, the White House began formally ending Musk’s appointment as a special government employee on Wednesday evening.
Musk’s position was temporary, so his departure was anticipated. However, it came just a day after he publicly criticized a key piece of Trump’s legislative agenda.
“As my time as a Special Government Employee draws to a close, I want to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to cut wasteful government spending,” Musk wrote on X.
“The mission of @DOGE will only grow stronger over time as it becomes ingrained in government operations.”
The South African-born entrepreneur had been classified as a “special government employee,” a status allowing him to work up to 130 days per year in a federal role.
Starting from Trump’s inauguration on January 20, Musk was expected to reach this 130-day limit by late May.
His exit followed his remarks expressing disappointment with Trump’s budget bill, which includes multi-trillion dollar tax cuts and increased defense spending.
In an interview with CBS, the BBC’s US partner, Musk said the “big, beautiful bill,” as Trump described it, would worsen the federal deficit.
He added that the bill “undermines the work” being done by Doge.
“I think a bill can be big or beautiful, but I’m not sure it can be both,” Musk commented.
Musk, who reportedly had private disagreements with some senior Trump officials, initially vowed to slash “at least $2 trillion” from the federal budget before reducing that goal twice — ultimately targeting a $150 billion cut.
Since then, about 260,000 jobs have been cut or offered voluntary redundancy from the 2.3 million-strong federal civilian workforce as part of Doge’s efforts.
Some mass firings were blocked by federal judges, who ordered some employees reinstated.
The rapid downsizing sometimes led to mistakes, such as wrongful termination of staff involved with the US nuclear program.
In late April, Musk announced plans to step back from his government role to refocus on his companies, amid growing criticism of the Trump administration’s overhaul of Washington.
“Doge has become the scapegoat for every problem,” Musk told the Washington Post from Texas, just before a SpaceX launch.
“If something goes wrong anywhere, we get blamed, even if it has nothing to do with us.”
During Musk’s time in government, Tesla experienced a significant drop in sales.
The company’s deliveries fell by 13% in the first quarter of the year — its biggest decline ever.
Tesla’s stock also plunged by as much as 45%, though it has mostly recovered, now down about 10%.
The company recently cautioned investors that these challenges might continue and cited “changing political sentiment” as a potential threat to vehicle demand.
Last month, Musk told investors his involvement with Doge “will decrease significantly” as he plans to devote much more time to Tesla.
Activists have organized protests and boycotts against Tesla, including vandalism of cars and charging stations.
The backlash escalated enough that US Attorney General Pam Bondi warned that vandalism targeting Tesla would be treated as “domestic terrorism.”
Speaking at an economic forum in Doha, Qatar, Musk reaffirmed his commitment to leading Tesla for at least the next five years.
Earlier this month, he also said he would reduce his political donations after spending nearly $300 million last year supporting Trump’s presidential campaign and other Republican candidates.
