Elon Musk Quits Trump Administration As Special Govt Employee: ‘DOGE Mission Will Only Strengthen…’

<p>Elon Musk is stepping down from his government role as a top adviser to President Donald Trump, concluding a high-profile effort to slash federal spending and reform bureaucratic inefficiencies.</p>
<p>The billionaire entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX announced the move Wednesday in a post on X, his social media platform.</p>
<p>&ldquo;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,&rdquo; Musk wrote. &ldquo;The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.&rdquo;</p>
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<p dir=”ltr” lang=”en”>As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President <a href=”https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@realDonaldTrump</a> for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending. <br /><br />The <a href=”https://twitter.com/DOGE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@DOGE</a> mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.</p>
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href=”https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1927877957852266518?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>May 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<p>Musk was appointed as a &ldquo;special government employee,&rdquo; a position that permits up to 130 days of government service per year. With the count beginning on President Trump&rsquo;s inauguration day&mdash;January 20&mdash;Musk&rsquo;s term was set to expire toward the end of May.</p>
<p>Since its creation earlier this year, Musk has led the Department of Government Efficiency&mdash;nicknamed DOGE&mdash;a Trump administration initiative aimed at curbing federal waste and streamlining operations. His leadership was central to shaping the department&rsquo;s mission.</p>
<p>A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Musk&rsquo;s departure and said his &ldquo;offboarding&rdquo; began Wednesday night.</p>
<p>Musk&rsquo;s exit follows closely on the heels of his public criticism of the administration&rsquo;s key legislative proposal. In a CBS interview released Tuesday night, Musk expressed dissatisfaction with the president&rsquo;s signature policy initiative, calling it a &ldquo;massive spending bill&rdquo; that adds to the national deficit and &ldquo;undermines the work&rdquo; of the DOGE department.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Musk&rsquo;s departure comes one day after he criticized the centerpiece of Trump&rsquo;s legislative agenda, saying he was &lsquo;disappointed&rsquo; by what the president calls his &lsquo;big beautiful bill.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p>
<p>The legislation includes a combination of tax cuts and enhanced immigration enforcement measures. While Musk acknowledged some merits, he questioned the bill&rsquo;s overall coherence and fiscal discipline.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful,&rdquo; Musk said. &ldquo;But I don&rsquo;t know if it could be both.&rdquo;</p>
<p>President Trump responded to the criticism from the Oval Office on Wednesday, defending his agenda while acknowledging the complexity of the legislative process.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not happy about certain aspects of it, but I&rsquo;m thrilled by other aspects of it,&rdquo; he said, adding, &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to see what happens. It&rsquo;s got a way to go.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Despite their policy divergence, Musk ended his tenure on a hopeful note.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time,&rdquo; he wrote. &ldquo;As it becomes a way of life throughout the government.&rdquo;</p>