Elon Musk Exits Trump Role, Cites DOGE Commitment

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has officially stepped down from his role as a top adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, ending his tenure as a Special Government Employee tasked with leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

In a statement posted Wednesday on X (formerly Twitter), Musk expressed gratitude for the opportunity while reaffirming his commitment to the DOGE mission.

“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,” he wrote. “The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”

A White House official confirmed Musk’s departure to Anadolu Agency.

Musk was appointed on Trump’s first day in office to head the newly established DOGE, which aimed to eliminate excessive federal expenditures. Under Musk’s leadership, the department initiated sweeping cost-cutting measures, including mass layoffs of federal workers and controversial proposals to dismantle agencies such as USAID. The DOGE team also faced criticism for allegedly accessing sensitive government data with limited oversight.

The timing of Musk’s exit aligns with growing tensions between him and the president over a sweeping spending and tax bill backed by Trump. Musk has publicly criticized the legislation, arguing that it undermines DOGE’s mission by significantly increasing the federal deficit.

“I was, like, disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decrease it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk said during a recent interview with CBS.

President Trump has defended the bill—describing it as “big” and “beautiful”—and successfully pushed it through the House of Representatives with a narrow 215-214 vote. However, the bill now faces stiff opposition in the Senate, where Democrats and a handful of Republicans remain unconvinced.

Republican Senator Rand Paul, speaking to Fox News, criticized the bill’s projected $4 trillion debt ceiling increase and called for its removal. “The math doesn’t add up,” Paul said, warning that even modest spending cuts would be insufficient if the bill increases long-term debt.

Musk’s departure signals a notable fracture within Trump’s inner circle and raises questions about the future of DOGE amid ongoing fiscal debates in Washington.