Elon Musk leaves the Trump administration, capping his run as federal government slasher
WASHINGTON − Elon Musk has officially left the Trump administration, capping the billionaire tech entrepreneur's turbulent four-month run leading a contentious effort to slash the federal government.
Musk, who had already scaled back his role with the Department of Government Efficiency, announced his departure in a May 28 post on X. It comes as his designation as a "special government employee" ‒ which allowed him to stay on the job for 130 calendar days a year ‒ has ended.
"As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending," Musk said. "The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government."
A White House official confirmed Musk's exit, telling USA TODAY, "The offboarding process has begun."
More: Elon Musk bemoans DOGE becoming Trump administration's 'whipping boy'
As the head of DOGE and a senior White House adviser, Musk led the effort to gut the government of what he called "waste and fraud" and reduce the federal workforce. DOGE, which is staffed by more than 100 government employees, is set to continue operating without Musk in charge. But it was unclear how much power the group will maintain without its famous leader.
Musk already had shifted his attention back to his business empire. Tesla, his electric car company, suffered financial losses after he became a polarizing figure as President Donald Trump's chief sidekick. This week, Musk took part in a blitz of media interviews from the headquarters of his company SpaceX in South Texas, coinciding with the latest test flight of his Starship spacecraft.
The day before his departure, Musk broke with Trump by criticizing his massive tax and spending bill that the president has dubbed the "big, beautiful bill." The bill, which includes Trump's domestic agenda on items ranging from border security to tax cuts, passed the House along party lines. It now heads to the Senate.
"I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing," Musk said in an interview May 27 on "CBS Sunday Morning."
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill would add $3.8 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years.
'I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don't know if it can be both. My personal opinion,' Musk said in the interview.
Musk, the richest man in the world and a Republican megadonor who helped bankroll Trump's 2024 campaign, last week said he intends to substantially cut back his political spending in future elections as he focuses more time on his businesses.
"I think in terms of political spending, I'm going to do a lot less in the future," Musk said May 20 at the Bloomberg News Qatar Economic Forum. "I think I've done enough."
DOGE has boasted of saving the federal government more than $175 billion through cuts ‒ though the group's declared savings have often been exaggerated or misleading. The office has dismantled entire federal agencies, axed government contracts and led the firings of tens of thousands of federal workers.
Musk downplayed the effect his absence could have on DOGE's survival during an interview with USA TODAY and other media outlets earlier in May.
"Is Buddha needed for Buddhism?" Musk asked. "DOGE is a way of life."Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Elon Musk leaves the Trump White House after turbulent run in power
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