Elon Musk Ends Role in Trump’s Government Efficiency Team

Elon Musk has officially left the White House, concluding his role as a special government employee leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Donald Trump. His departure was confirmed by a White House official, with Musk's off-boarding process beginning on the evening of May 28, 2025, marking the end of his 130-day tenure, the maximum allowed for special government employees.

Musk expressed gratitude to President Trump via his social media platform X, thanking him for the opportunity to work on reducing wasteful government spending. He emphasized that the DOGE mission to restructure and improve government efficiency would continue and become ingrained in government operations over time.

His exit came shortly after he publicly criticized a key Republican tax and budget bill, calling it overly expensive and detrimental to the deficit reduction efforts pursued by DOGE. This criticism reportedly contributed to tensions within the administration and preceded his departure, which was decided at a senior staff level without a formal discussion with Trump.

During his tenure, Musk led efforts that resulted in cutting nearly 12% of the federal civilian workforce—about 260,000 jobs—through buyouts, early retirements, and firings. However, despite these cuts, Musk did not achieve the large-scale savings he initially promised, and his political involvement drew protests and investor concern, particularly regarding his ability to focus on his business ventures like Tesla.

In summary, Elon Musk's official exit from the White House concludes a turbulent and controversial period marked by aggressive government restructuring efforts and political disagreements, with the DOGE initiative continuing beyond his departure.