Sources say senior White House aides were angered by Musk’s televised rebuke, prompting immediate damage control with Republican senators.
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is exiting the Trump administration after a turbulent 130-day stint as a special government employee heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a White House official confirmed Wednesday.
“Off-boarding will begin tonight,” the official said. Musk also took to X to thank President Trump, signaling the end of his short but controversial tenure aimed at slashing federal spending.
His departure comes one day after sharply criticizing the GOP’s $1.4 trillion tax and budget bill. “I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit… and undermines the work the DOGE team is doing,” Musk told CBS News.
Sources say senior White House aides were angered by Musk’s televised rebuke, prompting immediate damage control with Republican senators.
Musk’s time in office was marked by agency shake-ups and aggressive staffing cuts. While DOGE claims to have reduced federal workforce numbers by 12%, critics say the cuts caused logistical delays and talent losses.
Over time, cabinet secretaries reportedly pushed back on Musk’s authority. “The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized,” Musk admitted to The Washington Post.
Despite his exit, Musk insists DOGE will endure: “The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time.”
Musk, who contributed nearly $300 million to Trump-aligned campaigns, also revealed plans to reduce political donations going forward: “I think I’ve done enough.”
He did not meet with Trump before resigning.