NAIROBI, Kenya — Elon Musk is officially done playing bureaucrat. The billionaire entrepreneur has stepped down from his temporary role as a top adviser to President Donald Trump, exiting Washington with more frustration than fanfare and a few parting shots at the administration’s prized legislative package.
Musk, who led the Department of Government Efficiency (yes, the real acronym was DOGE), announced his exit Wednesday night in true Musk fashion—with a post on X, his own social platform. “As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end,” he wrote, “I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending.” The mission, he added, “will only strengthen over time.”
The post marked the end of a rocky tenure that saw Musk attempt to slash government waste, cut federal spending, and radically reshape the U.S. bureaucracy. But despite early ambitions, his impact was ultimately underwhelming.
He started with a goal of cutting $2 trillion in spending. By the end, he had scaled that back to just $150 billion. Along the way, Musk clashed with Trump officials, faced backlash from lawmakers, and watched his sweeping vision shrink under political pressure.
And then came the real kicker—Trump’s signature “big beautiful bill,” a package stuffed with tax cuts and stricter immigration measures that Musk says directly undercut DOGE’s work.
The White House downplayed the drama, with one anonymous official confirming Musk’s exit and emphasizing it had always been temporary.
But behind closed doors, it was clear tensions had been rising. Musk, who helped bankroll Trump’s campaign to the tune of $250 million, had grown increasingly vocal about his disillusionment with how Washington works—and doesn’t.
“The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized,” Musk told The Washington Post. “I thought there were problems, but it’s an uphill battle trying to improve things in D.C., to say the least.”
His critique of the “big beautiful bill” struck a nerve. While the legislation sailed through the House, it faces resistance in the Senate—not least from Republicans who echo Musk’s concerns about ballooning deficits.
Sen. Mike Lee of Utah responded to Musk’s criticism on X, saying the Senate’s version of the bill “can, it must, and it will be” more aggressive in cutting spending.
And the numbers don’t lie. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that while the bill’s tax provisions could spike the deficit by $3.8 trillion over a decade, proposed cuts to programs like Medicaid and food stamps would save just over $1 trillion.
As for Musk, he’s heading back to more familiar territory: rockets and EVs. Tesla and SpaceX are calling. And he’s cutting back on political donations, too. “I think I’ve done enough,” he recently told reporters.
Musk’s brief stint in government may not have transformed Washington, but it certainly shook things up.
He wore MAGA-style hats in the West Wing, turned the White House driveway into a Tesla showroom, and threw political rallies of his own. For a while, he was Trump’s favorite billionaire. “Frankly, I love him,” Musk once said of the former president.
Trump returned the praise, calling Musk “a truly great American.”
Now, Musk’s departure leaves behind more questions than answers. Will the DOGE project continue? Will Republicans use Musk’s criticism to push for deeper cuts? And will Trump’s “big beautiful bill” survive the Senate unscathed?
For now, Musk is out. Washington, it seems, was one frontier even he couldn’t conquer.
