Musk leaves White House after 130 days of drama from chainsaws to Tesla gifts as billionaire makes ‘whipping boy' blast
ELON Musk has announced he is exiting his role as Donald Trump's "secretary of cost-cutting" - ending a dramatic 130-day White House stint.
The Tesla boss spent most of Trump's first 100 days leading the newly forged Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) - slashing government spending and giving the president crucial pieces of advice.
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Elon Musk displays a chainsaw given to him by President of Argentina Javier Milei during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)
Credit: Reuters
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President Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk, joined by his son X Æ A-Xii, speaks in the Oval Office
Credit: AFP
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Trump said he bought one Tesla after the great sales pitch
Credit: AFP
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The Tesla boss' exit came a day after he criticised Trump's marquee tax bill
Credit: CBS Sunday Morning
But his time in the office - during which he
This includes the billionaire tech mogul brandishing a chainsaw on stage and even putting up a Tesla sales pitch outside the White House.
Musk showed
which
earned him a role
in Trump's top team.
He was named a "special government employee" in January, a designation given to people with specialized expertise who join the government for a short time.
read more on elon Musk
The billionaire tech mogul was granted a 130-day employment period ending on May 30.
In April, Musk revealed he would leave the Trump administration when his work is expected to be finished, despite the president saying he wants to keep him as long as possible.
A US official yesterday said Musk's "off-boarding will begin tonight", confirming his quick and unceremonious departure from the White House.
Musk did not have a formal conversation with Trump before announcing his exit, according to an official source.
Most read in The US Sun
His exit came a day after criticising Trump's marquee tax bill.
He called the bill too expensive and said that it would undermine his work with the US DOGE, which he said was becoming
the "whipping boy for everything
".
Musk told
Elon Musk will name his price for acting as a 'heat shield' for Donald Trump eventually, ex-adviser warns
Speaking to the Washington Post, the billionaire said:
'
DOGE
is just becoming the whipping boy for everything
.
'Something bad would happen anywhere, and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do with it.'
One source said the billionaire's decision to trash Trump's bill on television deeply upset senior White House aides.
Though Musk thanked Trump after exiting and wrote: "
As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank [President
Trump]
for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending.
"
While the Tesla boss remains close to the president, his exit comes after a gradual but steady slide in standing.
After Trump's inauguration, the richest man in the world emerged as a unique force in Trump's orbit.
He became the biggest cheerleader
for the foe-turned-pal
president, pumping in millions of dollars in his MAGA election campaign.
But being Trump's right-hand man took on a new meaning when he made headlines by dramatically throwing out his arm - twice - at a rally celebrating Trump's January 20 inauguration.
Standing at a podium bearing the presidential seal, Musk's right arm was straight, his hand open, his palm facing down.
Musk
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Musk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena on January 20
Credit: AFP
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President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speak to the press as they stand next to a Tesla Cybertruck on the South Portico of the White House
Credit: AFP
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Elon Musk listens during a cabinet meeting at the White House
Credit: AP
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Elon Musk jumps on stage as he joins Donald Trump during a campaign rally at Butler, Pennsylvania
Credit: AFP
He dismissed the claims, posting on his X: "The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired."
Hot off his salute row, Musk became a near-constant presence in the White House.
He often tended to be effusive in his praise of Trump.
"The more I've gotten to know President Trump, the more I like the guy," Musk said in February.
"Frankly, I love him."
Dressed down in MAGA hats and t-shirts, he would always be seen flanking Trump in an out of the White House.
And
During Musk's first appearance since his arrival in Washington, the child was trotted out, and Trump said: "This is X and he's a great guy."
The boy was filmed picking his nose while his father boasted about his cost-cutting exploits while standing next to the Oval Office's Resolute Desk.
At Trump's first cabinet meeting on February 26, Musk had a starring role even though he is not part of the cabinet.
He stood looming near a doorway, wearing a t-shirt with the words "Tech Support" across the chest as the cabinet met.
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Musk listens to Trump speak in the Oval Office of the White House
Credit: Reuters
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Musk shows off his t-shirt reading 'Tech Support' while speaking at the first cabinet meeting hosted by President Trump
Credit: Reuters
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Musk shows off a shirt that says 'DOGE' as he walks on the South Lawn of the White House
Credit: AFP via Getty Images
Musk bashed the American bureaucracy and immediately made brutal cuts to the federal workforce and budget.
And to show off his management style, he donned sunglasses and
It was handed to him by Argentine President Javier Milei, who made the machine a symbol of slashing bureaucracy and state spending in his own country.
With Musk's Tesla sales tanking and with vandals targeting his brand, the White House even hosted a
With a Tesla Cybertruck and a Model S parked on the South Portico, Trump and Musk mounted a sales pitch.
Trump even said he had purchased one.
Musk clashed with three of Trump's most senior cabinet members - Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
After Trump announced his sweeping US tariffs, Musk made the case for a free-trade zone between the United States and Europe.
This clashed with Trump's foreign trade policy.
Shortly after, he called Trump's trade adviser Peter Navarro a "moron" and "dumber than a sack of bricks."
Navarro dismissed the insults, saying, "I've been called worse."
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt tried to play down the public feud, saying that "boys will be boys".
'MAJOR WASTE CLEANUP'
Since working at the forefront of Doge, Musk has claimed the department has cut tons of wasteful government spending.
Several cabinet secretaries are already discussing with the White House how to proceed without further alienating Congressional Republicans.
'This is a revolution and I think it might be the biggest revolution in the government since the original revolution," he said.
The Tesla owner was tasked by the Trump administration to find $1 trillion worth of savings by 2026 and claimed DOGE's goal is to cut waste and the deficit by $4 billion a day, seven days a week.
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Musk speak to the press as they stand next to a Tesla vehicle on the South Portico of the White House
Credit: AFP
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Musk poses before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden
Credit: AP
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.
"The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government," Musk said.
But even as department heads will keep some DOGE infrastructure in place, they will likely move to reassert control over budgets and staffing.
Having spent nearly $300 million to back Trump's presidential campaign and other Republicans last year, he said earlier this month he would substantially cut his political spending.
"I think I've done enough," Musk said at an economic forum in Qatar.
DOGE'S FUTURE WITHOUT MUSK
When asked about Doge's future, Trump acknowledged that the goal was to operate fluidly without Musk at the helm.
"There will be a point at which the secretaries will be able to do this work and do it, as we say, with a scalpel," Trump told reporters on Monday.
Trump has been outspoken about his support of Musk's work with the Department of Government Efficiency, but has also hinted the tech genius won't be around for long.
Earlier in March, the president said, "I think he will know when it's time. He doesn't want to stay around."
Trump explained that Musk is busy juggling efforts with Space X and various other business ventures and would like to get back at the helm sooner rather than later.
"I think he's amazing but I also think he's got a big company to run and so at some point he's going to be going back," said Trump.
"He wants to. I'd keep him as long as I could keep him."
14
Trump and Musk watch a fight during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York
Credit: AFP
Donald Trump and Elon Musk's complicated relationship
PRESIDENT Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk's relationship started rocky, but the pair have since reconciled, with Musk fully endorsing Trump during the election campaign.
In 2022, Elon Musk and Donald Trump publicly feuded on X, then still known as Twitter.
Trump called Musk a liar and "bulls**t artist" during a rally in Alaska.
"Elon is not going to buy Twitter," Trump said at the time.
"You know, he said the other day, 'I've never voted for a Republican.' I said, 'I didn't know that - you told me you voted for me. So he's another bulls**t artist, but he's not going to be buying it."
In response to Trump's critiques, the SpaceX founder clapped back.
"I don't hate the man, but it's time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset," Musk posted.
Musk also went on to buy X months later.
The X owner said he had previously voted mostly for Democrats since becoming a United States citizen in 2002.
Musk initially backed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to be the Republican Party's presidential nominee.
"My preference for the 2024 presidency is someone sensible and centrist," Musk wrote on X in 2022.
"I had hoped that would [be] the case for the Biden administration, but have been disappointed so far."
His shift in political parties might be attributed to his plummeting relationship with President Joe Biden who didn't invite Musk to the 2021 White House electric vehicle summit.
Despite their past issues, Trump and Musk's relationship took a turn in March after they met at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump was also previously against electric vehicles but has since changed his stance.
"I'm for electric cars," he said at a rally earlier this month.
"I have to be, because Elon endorsed me very strongly. So I have no choice."
Following the assassination attempt at Trump's rally in July, Musk announced his support for the former president.
"I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery," Musk wrote on X after the shooting.
During a recent press conference, Trump spoke highly of Musk.
"I respect Elon a lot. He respects me," he said.
"Elon, more than almost anybody I know, he loves this country. He loves the concept of this country, but like me, he says this country is in big trouble, it's in tremendous danger."
Musk has been pictured at events at Mar-a-Lago and the UFC, buddying up with Trump.
Trump selected Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency - a taskforce aimed at cutting bureaucracy.
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