Elon Musk departs from the White House following a day of criticism towards Trump's tax reform proposal.
Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Donald Trump, announced his departure from the administration on Wednesday. In a brief statement posted on his X account, Musk acknowledged the completion of his scheduled tenure as a special government employee and thanked the president for the opportunity to cut wasteful spending.
The White House confirmed to Reuters that Musk would be leaving his role, with his departure set to take effect immediately. Musk's departure comes a day after he criticized the president's tax bill, arguing that it was too costly and detrimental to his work with DOGE.
Musk's time with the government was marked by both success and controversy. The DOGE, an initiative established to reduce bureaucracy and federal spending, reportedly claimed savings of about $175 billion. However, the initiative also faced lawsuits and constitutional challenges.
Musk has now set his sights back on his private sector ventures, particularly SpaceX and Tesla. SpaceX, which conducted its ninth test launch of a rocket aimed at taking humanity to Mars on Tuesday, remains central to Musk’s long-term vision. Meanwhile, Tesla continues to push the boundaries of the automotive and energy industries through electric vehicles and sustainability.
In recent weeks, Musk had hinted at his intention to step away from politics. He expressed a desire to focus solely on his businesses and stated that he wanted to be "super focused on X, xAI, and Tesla." This weekend, he further indicated his departure, stating that he spent most of his time working and sleeping in conference rooms, servers, and factories.
Musk also criticized the recently approved "Great and Beautiful Bill," arguing that it increased the budget deficit and undermined the work the DOGE team was doing. He further slammed White House trade advisor Peter Navarro, calling him "dumb" for dismissing Musk's proposal of "zero tariffs" between the US and Europe.
With Musk's departure, several senior DOGE officials, including key advisors James Burnham and Steve Davis, also left their positions due to the same limited-term constraints. The DOGE's mission, Musk said, would continue to strengthen over time and become a part of everyday government operations.
- Elon Musk, a key figure in policy-and-legislation and science, particularly in the space-and-astronomy sector, departed from his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Donald Trump.
- Despite his achievements with DOGE, including saving about $175 billion through reducing bureaucracy and federal spending, Musk faced controversy and lawsuits over constitutional challenges.
- Returning to his roots in the private sector, Musk intends to focus on his ventures like SpaceX, a company that uses technology to advance space exploration, and Tesla, an automotive and energy company pushing boundaries with electric vehicles and sustainability.
- Recent events have seen Musk voicing opposition to war-and-conflicts-related policies, such as criticizing the president's tax bills and the "Great and Beautiful Bill," which he deemed costly and detrimental to his work.
- In the world of general-news, Musk has been vocal about crime-and-justice matters, notably calling out White House trade advisor Peter Navarro for dismissing his proposals on tariffs, labeling Navarro as "dumb."
