Elon Musk leaves Trump's team
Elon Musk has stepped down from his role in Donald Trump's government.
A White House spokesman confirmed on Wednesday that the billionaire entrepreneur was leaving the administration and that 'off-boarding will begin tonight'.
In an announcement posted on social media, Mr Musk said that his 'scheduled time as a Special Government Employee' was coming 'to an end'.
He thanked Mr Trump, the US president, 'for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending' through his appointment to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
'The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,' Mr Musk wrote on X.
The exit was decided 'at a senior staff level' and Mr Musk did not have a formal conversation with Mr Trump before posting on X, Reuters reported.
Mr Musk's 130-day mandate as a special government employee in the Trump administration was set to expire around May 30.
The administration has said DOGE's efforts to restructure and shrink the federal government will continue.
Trump and DOGE have managed to cut nearly 12 per cent, or 260,000, of the 2.3 million-strong federal civilian workforce largely through threats of firings, buyouts and early retirement offers.
On Tuesday, Mr Musk criticised the price tag of Republicans' tax and budget legislation making its way through Congress.
The Tesla founder said he was 'disappointed to see the massive spending Bill, which increases the budget deficit, and undermines the work that the Doge team is doing'.
It comes amid broader criticism of Mr Trump's 'big, beautiful bill', which has promised to deliver $4.5 trillion (£3.3 trillion) worth of tax cuts while significantly increasing America's deficit.
The billionaire recently stepped back from running the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) to focus on Tesla and SpaceX.
However, during his tenure, the tech tycoon sacked thousands of federal workers in a radical attempt to slash costs.
He has previously warned that the world's largest economy was going 'bankrupt' as a result of its $36.2 trillion debt pile, echoing similar concerns made by economists since Mr Trump came to power.
Mr Musk told the Joe Rogan podcast in January: 'If we don't act, the entire government budget will be used just to pay interest.'
Mr Musk's political activities have drawn protests and some investors have called for him to leave his work as Mr Trump's adviser and manage Tesla more closely.
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