Trump: "Elon Musk Will Leave Soon"

Elon Musk is stepping back. Not because the mission failed — but because the political cost of keeping him around is starting to outweigh the upside.

According to three Trump insiders, President Trump has told his inner circle that Musk will leave his formal role “in the coming weeks” — ending his high-profile tenure as the face of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and one of the White House’s loudest enforcers.

“He wants to,” Trump told reporters. “I’d keep him as long as I could.”

But behind the scenes, the transition has been quietly in motion for over a week.

What’s Happening

Musk’s 130-day special government employee status expires late May or early June
He’ll likely retain an informal adviser role — still around, just no longer official
The decision follows weeks of internal friction, PR backlash, and policy chaos

At a recent Cabinet meeting, Trump praised Musk — calling him a “patriot” — while several department heads who had clashed with him weeks earlier suddenly lined up to applaud his cost-cutting campaign.

But the message was clear: It’s time to wrap.

Why the Shift Now?

Wisconsin backlash: Musk spent ~$20M supporting a conservative judge — who lost by 10 points.
His actions — especially on X — have repeatedly blindsided the Trump comms team and Cabinet
DOGE’s aggressive tactics triggered real fallout: uncoordinated cuts, unvetted agency mandates, and even slashing Ebola prevention funds

One White House official told Politico: “You never knew what was coming next. It was policy by tweet.”

Internal Split

Musk allies say: mission mostly accomplished — and there’s not much left to cut without damage
Skeptics say: the chaos and unpredictability were becoming a campaign liability