President Donald Trump has reportedly told his aides that Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, will soon step down from his role leading the federal government’s restructuring efforts, according to a report by Politico on April 2nd. The report indicated that Musk, who has been overseeing large-scale reforms at federal agencies as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), will return to his business ventures once his work is completed. However, the White House quickly denied the claims, dismissing the report as “garbage.”
According to sources speaking anonymously, Trump discussed Musk’s impending departure with his Cabinet members, suggesting that Musk would soon leave the government. Musk, who is exempt from ethics and conflict of interest regulations, is limited by law to working for the government for no more than 130 days a year. This limitation is set to expire by late May or early June, which could explain the timing of his exit.
Trump had previously hinted at the possibility of Musk’s departure during a March 31st Q&A session at the White House, saying, “At some point, he’ll come back” and “I’ll keep him as long as I can.” Musk himself had alluded to his departure in a March 27th interview with Fox News, saying, “We plan to complete $1 trillion in federal government cost reductions by the end of May.”
The Politico report also mentioned that Trump had stated during a Cabinet meeting on March 24th that Musk would be leaving soon. While Trump has been a strong supporter of Musk’s reform efforts, there has been growing criticism of Musk’s approach. Some members of the administration have expressed frustration with Musk’s communication style and the unpredictability of his plans, especially after Musk made controversial remarks and shared unverified plans for reorganizing federal agencies via his X (formerly Twitter) account. Additionally, Musk’s public support for a conservative candidate in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, who ultimately lost by a significant margin, has sparked further concerns.
Despite the controversy, a senior administration official stated that Musk would continue to serve as an unofficial advisor to Trump and may still appear around the White House from time to time. Politico’s sources also suggested that Musk would not completely disappear from Trump’s orbit.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt strongly rejected the Politico report, calling it “garbage” and reaffirming that both Musk and Trump had publicly stated that Musk would step down from his government role once he completed his work at DOGE.