Elon Musk leaves his government position after criticizing Trump's law.
Elon Musk is leaving his government position as a senior advisor to President Donald Trump.
Since joining the second Trump administration at the beginning of his term in January, Musk led the Department of Government Efficiency "DOGE," tasked with reducing the size of the federal government.
Elon Musk thanked President Donald Trump on Wednesday for the "opportunity to curb wasteful spending."
Musk wrote: "The mission of @DOGE will be strengthened over time, as it becomes a way of life throughout the government."
As a special government employee, Musk can work in the administration for 130 days in the calendar year. The end of May marks the 130-day passage since Trump's inauguration.
Musk criticized the spending bill proposed by Trump that is making its way through Congress, stating in an interview with CBS scheduled to air on June 1 that it "undermines the work being done by the DOGE team."
Musk, the richest man in the world, is the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and the AI startup xAI. Musk stated this week that he plans to focus more on his businesses. He recently indicated that he would turn his attention back to running his companies, such as electric car manufacturer Tesla and rocket company SpaceX.
The departure of Elon Musk, announced Wednesday evening, marks the end of a tumultuous chapter that saw thousands of layoffs, the dismantling of government agencies, and a series of lawsuits. Musk significantly lowered his spending reduction target - from two trillion dollars to one trillion dollars and then to 150 billion dollars - and increasingly expressed his frustration at the resistance to his goals. At times, he clashed with senior members of the Trump administration, who were displeased with the newcomer’s efforts to restructure their departments and faced a fierce political backlash over his efforts.
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