Elon Musk has announced that he is leaving the Trump administration, where he led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). His role was temporary, so the departure is not unexpected, but it comes a day after Musk criticized the US president's legislative policies.
Elon Musk has announced that he is leaving the Trump administration, where he led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). His role was temporary, so the departure is not unexpected, but it comes a day after Musk criticized the US president's legislative policies.
Elon Musk has been granted “special civil servant” status, which allows him to work in government for 130 days each year. If you count from Trump’s inauguration on January 20, he will reach that limit around May 30.
But his departure comes a day after he said he was "disappointed" with Trump's budget bill, which proposes multi-trillion-dollar tax breaks and increased defense spending, the BBC writes .
“As my scheduled time as a special civil servant comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to cut wasteful spending,” Musk wrote on X. “The @DOGE mission will continue to grow across government.”
Musk initially promised to cut the federal budget by "at least $2 trillion," before halving that goal and then halving it to $150 billion.
DOGE currently estimates that the department's work has already saved $175 billion, Reuters reports , although the publication was unable to independently verify this figure.
As a result of DOGE's work, 260,000 out of 2.3 million federal civilian employees were laid off.
The rapid approach to downsizing sometimes led to the mistaken dismissal of some workers, including personnel in the US nuclear program.
In some cases, federal judges have blocked mass layoffs and ordered the reinstatement of laid-off workers.
Musk's political activities have also affected his company, Tesla, which saw electric vehicle sales fall 13% in the first three months of this year, the biggest drop in deliveries in the company's history.
The company's share price also fell by as much as 45%, but has mostly recovered and is down only 10%.
In addition, activists called for a boycott of Tesla , staging protests outside Tesla dealerships.
Earlier this month, Musk said he would cut his political donations after spending nearly $300 million last year supporting Trump's presidential campaign and other Republicans.
