Latest news with #Musk
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Elon Musk Bids Farewell As Official Trump Administration Role Comes To An End
Elon Musk said so long to his official government role this evening, as his status as a special government employee expires. '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 wrote. 'The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.' More from Deadline Fox News Continued To See Audience Growth In May While MSNBC And CNN Posted Double-Digit Declines Vs. 2024 Paramount Offers Millions To Trump To End $20B '60 Minutes' Suit & Let Skydance Merger Go Through Judge Declines To Immediately Block Trump's Effort To Fire Register Of Copyrights Musk led the Department of Government Efficiency effort to slash government agencies, wreaking havoc across the federal workforce as he and his staff quickly moved to shut down USAID, among other entities. Musk boasted of the achievement by brandishing a chainsaw at CPAC. But his actions drove up his unpopularity and tarnished the brand of Tesla, while Musk signaled earlier this month that he would start moving away from politics to spend more time on his companies. He reportedly clashed with other administration officials, including Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. They at one point had a shouting match at the White House over Musk's efforts to install his own acting director of the IRS, according to a report in The Atlantic. In an interview this week with CBS News' David Pogue, Musk was critical of Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill,' the massive tax and spending package that recent passed the House. Although it would extend Trump's tax cuts from his first term, the legislation also is estimated to add trillions to the deficit. Best of Deadline 'The Morning Show' Season 4: Everything We Know So Far 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
After four months of disruption, Elon Musk signals he's leaving government
Elon Musk is saying goodbye to DOGE. The billionaire adviser to President Donald Trump, whose government-slashing initiative reshaped Washington over a whirlwind four months, on Wednesday confirmed his time as a 'special government employee' was concluding soon. "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,' Musksaid on X. 'The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.' Musk and Trump have signaled for weeks that the DOGE chief would soon take a step back from the White House. Muskcommitted last month to drop his DOGE duties significantly and focus on his companies amid tumbling Tesla sales and stock prices. 'Special government employees' — Musk's executive branch designation — are only allowed to work up to 130 days per year, a deadline that comes Friday, assuming Musk worked every day since Inauguration Day. Musk did not specify an exact end date, and a DOGE spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Musk's apparent departure comes a day after the billionairecriticized Republicans' 'big, beautiful bill,' slamming Trump's landmark legislation for undermining DOGE's spending cuts. His secretive team's unorthodox slash-and-burn tactics have sowed chaos across Washington and touched nearly every corner of the federal government. Although Trump has remained a fierce advocate of Musk, the Tesla CEO has clashed in recent months with several top administration officials.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Elon Musk Exits Donald Trump Administration After 4 Months
Originally appeared on E! Online Elon Musk is done with his political duties. The Tesla CEO will step away from his government role in President 's administration, Musk shared on X (formerly Twitter) May 28. "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," he wrote. "The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Before his exit, Musk had recently criticized a Republican-backed domestic policy bill for increasing the deficit, per NBC News. "I was, like, disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decrease it," Musk told CBS' "Sunday Morning" in an interview airing June 1. "And undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing." Back in March, Trump told his cabinet that Musk would be vacating his position in the coming months, according to NBC News. More from E! Online Brad Pitt Breaks Silence on Finalizing Angelina Jolie Divorce Duck Dynasty's Korie Robertson Says Phil Robertson's Health Declined 'Really Rapidly' Before His Death Todd Chrisley Released From Prison After Donald Trump Pardon In a private March 24 cabinet meeting, Trump revealed Musk—who has lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) since the administration began in January—would be transitioning back to the private sector. The 47th president went on to call Musk a 'patriot' when cameras were brought in at the end of the meeting. 'He is a patriot,' Trump, 78, said, per NBC News. 'He's a friend of mine. He's become a friend of mine. He supported me in the election. That's when I got to know him. I knew him a little bit from the first term, but not much. But he's a patriot more than anything else.' Trump also lauded Musk for 'never' seeking personal favors. 'He has never asked me for a thing,' the Apprentice alum continued. 'He could have. I always say, I wonder if he's ever going to ask me for something, and that's always subject to change, and if it does change, I'll let you know about it. But Elon has never asked me for a thing.' As for why Musk, 53, is vacating his role? Trump noted his pal had other business to attend to—but wouldn't confirm the fate of DOGE. 'He's got a big company to run, and so at some point he's going to be going back,' Trump told reporters at a March 31 press conference. 'I keep [sic] him as long as I could keep him. He's a very talented guy. You know, I love very smart people. He's very smart, and he's done a good job.' Indeed, Trump has been supported by Musk since the campaign trail and even had the SpaceX founder by his side at his Inauguration in January. A month later, Musk brought his and ex Grimes' 4-year-old son X Æ A-Xii Musk, to the White House for a meeting with the president. And while Trump had his desk sent out to be refinished shortly after Musk's son was caught wiping his boogers on it, the president had nothing but glowing praise for the toddler. 'He's a great guy," Trump said. 'High-IQ individual.' Meanwhile, Grimes—who also shares Exa, 3, and Techno Machanicus, 2, with Musk—later shared she 'did not know' or approve of the visit, but told a fan who effused over her son's manners over X, 'I'm glad he was polite. Sigh.' Keep reading for a thorough look at Trump's cabinet... (E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.) Vice President JD VanceSecretary of State Marco RubioSecretary of Treasury Scott BessentSecretary of Defense Pete HegsethAttorney General Pam BondiSecretary of Interior Doug BurgumSecretary of Agriculture Brooke RollinsSecretary of Commerce Howard LutnickSecretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemerSecretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy of Housing and Urban Development Scott TurnerSecretary of Transportation Sean DuffySecretary of Energy Chris WrightSecretary of Education Linda McMahonSecretary of Veterans Affairs Doug CollinsSecretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Elon Musk Says He's Leaving the Department of Government Efficiency
Elon Musk has served as a top adviser to President Donald Trump since the president's inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20 The tech billionaire headed up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and worked to make major cuts to areas of the government the administration deems unnecessary Musk then announced on Wednesday, May 28, that he had decided to leave DOGEElon Musk announced he is departing from his government role as a top adviser to President Donald Trump. The 53-year-old businessman posted to X on Wednesday, May 28, sharing his decision to leave the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). '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,' he wrote. 'The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.' Musk losing his special government employee status is expected because his role had a set end date. However, a White House official confirmed to the Associated Press that Musk was leaving rather than just stepping into a less official role. Since Trump's second term began, Musk has served as a White House adviser heading DOGE and worked to make major cuts to areas of the government the administration deems unnecessary. However, his departure comes one day after he criticized Trump's budget legislation agenda, explaining that he is 'disappointed' in Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill." The bill was passed in the House of Representatives on May 22. It is funding its tax cuts and military spending in part by cutting some federal health and energy programs. However, it is also poised to add an estimated $3.8 trillion to the national deficit, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Musk said he feels that the new legislation could soon undercut DOGE's work. '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,' he told CBS Sunday Morning in an interview that will air in full on June 1. Musk also told The Washington Post on Tuesday, May 27, that he felt his DOGE project was taking a significant portion of the blame for unrelated problems in the Trump administration. 'DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything,' he said. 'So, like, something bad would happen anywhere, and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do with it.' 'The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized,' Musk added. 'I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in D.C., to say the least.' Prior to Musk's departure, multiple sources claimed in early April at Politico and ABC News that the president had informed his inner circle that Musk would be shifting into a 'supporting role' at the White House and returning to his business ventures. Politico also reported on Tuesday, April 2, that some White House insiders 'increasingly view [Musk] as a political liability.' However, the next day, Vice President J.D. Vance indicated in a Fox & Friends interview that those reports may have been overblown. "DOGE has got a lot of work to do, and yeah, that work is going to continue after Elon leaves,' Vance said. 'But fundamentally, Elon is going to remain a friend and an adviser of both me and the president.' Read the original article on People
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Musk thanks Trump as special government employee status ‘comes to an end'
Elon Musk expressed gratitude to President Trump in a Wednesday message marking the end of his special government employee status, the latest sign of his declining involvement in the White House. In a post on X, Musk thanked Trump for the opportunity to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a panel focused on dramatically slashing the size of the federal budget and workforce. '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 wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter before he purchased it in 2022. 'The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.' As a special government employee, Musk was limited to 130 days in service to Trump and spent much of the start of the new administration close by the president's side. 'Offboarding begins tonight,' a White House official told NewsNation Wednesday night. Musk made clear during the start of his DOGE tenure that he planned to be a force in politics in some capacity after the end of his official government status. But as Musk and DOGE's mission fell by the wayside to Trump's tax cut package, which is expected to add trillions to the national debt, the tech billionaire has pivoted harder back toward his business empire. 'Back to spending 24/7 at work and sleeping in conference/server/factory rooms,' Musk said Saturday in response to a post on X about the platform's recent outages. 'I must be super focused on X/xAI and Tesla (plus Starship launch next week), as we have critical technologies rolling out,' he added, referring to a launch planned by SpaceX, his space company. Shares of Tesla soared Tuesday in response to Musk's new attention after the market opened following Memorial Day. Later that day, Musk expressed frustration with Trump's major policy bill in a clip of a CBS interview to be aired in full Sunday. 'I was, like, disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit … and it undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,' Musk said in a preview of an interview set to air this weekend on 'CBS Sunday Morning.' Trump waived off Musk's criticism when asked about his comments Wednesday, defending the measure while acknowledging it includes provisions he doesn't like, but are necessary to pass Congress. 'We will be negotiating that bill, and I'm not happy about certain aspects of it, but I'm thrilled by other aspects of it,' Trump said. 'That's the way it goes. It's very big, it's the big, beautiful, but the beautiful is because of all the things that we have.' NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., which also owns The Hill. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
