'He's finished, gone and people hate him': Trump has wiped Elon Musk's name from Truth Social
Elon Musk
, Tesla CEO and a prominent figure in the
Donald Trump
administration, appears to be reportedly fading in a gradual manner. The President has stopped mentioning his 'first buddy' on
Truth social
as the administration has taken a significant step back from the tech billionaire brought on to trim the federal budget. Musk will be quitting
Department of Government Efficiency
(DOGE) by the end of this month.
In February and March, Trump mentioned Elon Musk on Truth Social an average of four times per week, as Musk and DOGE oversaw widespread layoffs and the closure of federal agencies. However, according to a Politico analysis, the president hasn't referenced Musk at all since the beginning of April, according to Politico.
Similarly, Musk had been posting about Trump almost daily on his X account until early April, but those mentions have noticeably declined since then.
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Why has Trump gone quiet on Elon Musk?
According to a report in The Daily Beast, after more than two months hyping Elon Musk and his work at the Department of Government Efficiency, President Donald Trump and his supporters have gone awfully quiet on the world's richest man.
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Musk now barely gets mentioned in White House briefings, and members of Congress have also stopped talking about him, the outlet found. It's a sharp departure from February and March, when Musk maintained a high profile—delivering remarks at Cabinet meetings, joining the president's address to Congress, flying on Air Force One, and headlining press briefings at the White House.
Most notably, Trump has remained silent about Musk on his social media platform, Truth Social, since March 31. Prior to that, he mentioned Musk frequently—about four times a week—and referred to him 11 times during the week of February 17, according to a Politico analysis.
By law, Musk could only serve as a special government employee for 130 days, until late May.
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'The mission of DOGE—to cut waste, fraud, and abuse—will surely continue. DOGE employees who onboarded at their respective agencies will continue to work with President Trump's cabinet to make our government more efficient,' Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Politico in a statement.
Why has Elon Musk's presence diminished?
The Truth Social blackout coincided with a major political setback for Elon Musk, as his favored candidate in the Wisconsin state Supreme Court race, Brad Schimel, lost by 10 points. Despite Musk pouring a record $21 million into the typically low-profile and nonpartisan race, liberal appellate judge Susan Crawford won handily.
Musk's headline-grabbing efforts—including distributing $1 million checks to voters and donning a cheesehead hat at a rally—weren't enough to sway the outcome.
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Two days after the election, a Marquette University Law School poll revealed that 58% of respondents disapproved of Musk's management of the secretive cost-cutting task force under DOGE. Even more—60%—expressed personal disapproval of Musk himself. 'He's finished, done, gone. He polls terrible. People hate him,' an anonymous GOP operative told Politico. 'He comes to Wisconsin thinking he can buy votes, wears a cheese hat, acts like a 9-year-old… It doesn't work. It's offensive.'
Several factors have contributed to Musk's diminished political presence. Other administration policies—like new tariffs—have shifted attention away from DOGE, and Musk has reportedly reduced his involvement. Tesla's profits plummeted by 71% in the first quarter of 2025, prompting Musk to assure investors he would cut back on DOGE duties to just one or two days per week starting in May.
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Meanwhile, the savings Musk once touted for DOGE have fallen far short of expectations. The task force claims $170 billion in cost reductions, but much of that could be offset by lost revenue, particularly after cuts to essential roles like IRS auditors who target wealthy tax evaders, according to Lawfare.
Republicans have largely stopped promoting the alleged savings, though many are still eager to stay in Musk's good graces, hoping his wealth and influence on social media will continue to benefit their campaigns, Politico reported. Despite the setbacks, Trump hasn't entirely sidelined Musk. He attended Trump's April 30 Cabinet meeting celebrating the president's first 100 days in office and accompanied him to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, where he participated in high-profile events, including a state dinner and an investors' summit. 'We all want to thank you for your help,' Trump said to Musk at the Cabinet meeting. 'You really have sacrificed a lot.'
Still, Trump is known for having little patience for those he sees as losers.
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