Tesla CEO Elon Musk has officially stepped down as a special government employee in US President Donald Trump’s administration. The billionaire announced his departure from the Department of Government Efficiency—known as DoGE—on Wednesday.
In a post on his social media platform X, Musk thanked Trump for the opportunity to help run DoGE. His exit follows public criticism of President Trump’s major legislative proposal, which Musk described as a “big, beautiful” budget bill that contradicts the aims of fiscal responsibility he supported.
He was designated as a “special government employee,” allowing him to work in a federal role for up to 130 days each year. Counting from Trump’s inauguration on 20 January, he reached that limit by the end of May.
Separately, a White House official said Musk will begin the offboarding process tonight, which essentially includes paperwork.
No talks with Trump before exit
His departure was quick and unceremonious. He did not have a formal conversation with Trump before announcing his exit, according to a source with knowledge of the matter, who added that his departure was decided “at a senior staff level.”
Trump and DOGE have managed to cut nearly 12%, or 260,000, of the 2.3 million-strong federal civilian workforce largely through threats of firings, buyouts and early retirement offers, a Reuters review of agency departures found.
Musk parts ways with Trump: 5 key points
1. Joined Trump for election campaign, tasked with reducing spending in government
- Elon Musk and Donald Trump teamed up for the 2024 US Presidential elections.
- Musk spent over $277 million on Trump’s campaign and actively participated in it.
- On 20 January 2025, Trump appointed Musk as a Special Government Employee in his administration.
- Musk was entrusted with leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with curbing wasteful spending in federal departments.
2. Worker layoffs, accountability disputes, and protests
- Musk initiated the termination of 56,000 federal employees, while 75,000 others accepted voluntary buyouts.
- He attempted to shut down agencies like USAID and Voice of America.
- DOGE gained access to data systems of departments like Treasury and Social Security, which stirred controversy.
- Musk’s directive emails demanding accountability from government employees were resisted by several agencies.
- Widespread protests erupted against Musk in April, with demonstrations in the US and Europe where Tesla cars were burned.
3. Resignation triggered by Tax-Cut Bill
- Musk resigned over dissatisfaction with Trump’s tax-cut bill, ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 (OBBBA)’.
- While Trump praised the bill as “beautiful,” Musk criticised it for promoting unnecessary spending.
- Musk admitted that transforming the federal bureaucracy was far more challenging than anticipated, describing its state as worse than expected.
4. Musk’s discontent with OBBBA
- Trump lauded the bill for addressing multiple objectives simultaneously.
- Musk opposed it, arguing that it increased government spending, contradicting his mandate of reducing costs.
- In February 2025, Argentine President Javier Milei gifted Musk a customised chainsaw, symbolising his advocacy for cutting bureaucracy and wasteful expenditure.
5. Unfinished goals, political exit, and funding withdrawal
- Musk revealed that his aim of saving $1 trillion through the DOGE department remained unachieved.
- Announcing his withdrawal from politics, he declared he would no longer fund political campaigns.
The Bill that led to Musk’s resignation
- It extends and makes permanent the 2017 tax cuts introduced by Trump, reducing income and estate taxes.
- Introduces new tax-cut provisions for overtime pay, tips, and Social Security income. The White House claims it will reduce taxes by 15% next year for individuals earning $30,000 to $80,000 annually.
- Allocates higher spending for border security (to curb illegal immigration) and strengthens US military and defence.
- Aims to reduce government waste, fraud, and misuse of funds.
- Raises the debt ceiling to allow the government to borrow more and meet its financial obligations. Without this increase, the government would risk defaulting on its bills.
Musk supported Trump after assassination attempt
Elon Musk publicly endorsed Trump’s presidency for the first time on 13 July 2024. This was the same day Trump survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.
Following the incident, Musk began contributing millions of dollars to Trump’s campaign through a political action committee (PAC) named America PAC.
Interestingly, Musk had criticised Trump during the 2016 presidential elections, stating that Trump was not the right person for the presidency. In 2020, Musk supported Joe Biden and even engaged in heated debates with Trump until 2022.
