Elon Musk steps away from the White House

Elon Musk’s official role within the United States government is coming to an end. The billionaire Tesla CEO announced his White House departure in an X post on Wednesday night, thanking President Donald Trump for the opportunity to “reduce wasteful spending” by leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” Musk wrote, saying that his position as a special government employee was coming “to an end.”

Musk’s departure was expected. He had announced plans earlier this month to step away from government and spend “a lot less” on US political campaigns, having invested nearly $300 million into Trump’s Presidential run. He’s also pledged to spend more time on Tesla, with his controversial political stint having likely contributed to the EV maker’s spiralling sales. The role of special government employee also comes with a 130-day time limit — a deadline that was fast approaching if DOGE’s establishment on January 20th is considered Musk’s start date.

Musk is parting ways with the Trump administration a day after criticizing the President’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” in an interview with CBS, saying the landmark tax legislation would increase the federal deficit and undermine his cost-cutting efforts at DOGE. During Trump’s campaign, Musk initially pledged that DOGE would cut at least $2 trillion in federal spending before later slashing its targets to $1 trillion and then $150 billion. The DOGE website currently claims to have saved $175 billion, but that figure should be taken with a fistful of salt given previous exaggerations.