Elon Musk’s role in Trump administration draws to a close

Elon Musk’s time as a Trump administration special government employee is coming to an end, the billionaire announced in a Wednesday night statement on X. Musk went on to say that the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, would continue its mission of reducing wasteful federal spending despite his departure. He also thanked Trump for what he described as the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending.

Why is he leaving? Musk’s status as a special government employee is limited by law to 130 days and was set to expire at the end of this week. In previous weeks, he had already begun to step back from his government role to focus more on his companies, SpaceX and Tesla, as well as to continue to develop his Starlink and Neuralink technology platforms. Musk’s departure is coming shortly after he told CBS News he was disappointed by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, based on priorities outlined by President Donald Trump. Musk characterized the act as a massive spending bill that would undermine cost-cutting efforts by the DOGE team. 

What does this mean for the future? Responding to a question from WORLD’s Carolina Lumetta at a Thursday afternoon briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to say whether someone else will take Musk’s place. Instead, she said, every Cabinet secretary, along with the president, is working with DOGE employees to continue the work.

Dig deeper: Read Travis Kircher’s story about Trump’s previous prediction of Musk’s departure.