Elon Musk leaves Trump administration after leading effort to slash U.S. government

The Associated Press

· Posted: May 28, 2025 9:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

Elon Musk is leaving his authorities relation arsenic a apical advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump aft spearheading efforts to trim and overhaul the national bureaucracy.

His departure, announced Wednesday evening, marks the extremity of a turbulent section that included thousands of layoffs, the evisceration of authorities agencies and reams of litigation. Despite the upheaval, the billionaire entrepreneur struggled successful the unfamiliar situation of Washington, and helium accomplished acold little than helium hoped.

He dramatically reduced his people for cutting spending — from $2 trillion US to $1 trillion US to $150 cardinal US — and progressively expressed vexation astir absorption to his goals. Sometimes helium clashed with different apical members of Trump's administration, who chafed astatine the newcomer's efforts to reshape their departments, and helium faced fierce governmental blowback for his efforts.

Musk's relation moving for Trump was ever intended to beryllium temporary, and helium had precocious signalled that helium would beryllium shifting his attraction backmost to moving his businesses, specified arsenic the electrical automaker Tesla and the rocket institution SpaceX.

But medication officials were often vague astir erstwhile Musk would measurement backmost from his presumption spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency, known arsenic DOGE, and helium abruptly revealed that helium was leaving successful a station connected X, his societal media website.

"As my scheduled clip arsenic a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would similar to convey President @realDonaldTrump for the accidental to trim wasteful spending," helium wrote. "The @DOGE ngo volition lone fortify implicit clip arsenic it becomes a mode of beingness passim the government."

A White House official, who requested anonymity to speech astir the change, confirmed Musk's departure.

Criticism of 'massive spending bill'

Musk announced his determination 1 time aft CBS released portion of an interrogation successful which helium criticized the centrepiece of Trump's legislative docket by saying helium was "disappointed" by what the president calls his "big, beauteous bill."

The authorities includes a premix of taxation cuts and enhanced migration enforcement. Musk described it arsenic a "massive spending bill" that increases the national shortage and "undermines the work" of DOGE.

"I deliberation a measure tin beryllium large oregon it could beryllium beautiful," Musk said. "But I don't cognize if it could beryllium both."

Trump, speaking successful the Oval Office connected Wednesday, defended his docket by talking astir the delicate authorities progressive with negotiating the legislation.

"I'm not blessed astir definite aspects of it, but I'm thrilled by different aspects of it," helium said.

Trump besides suggested that much changes could beryllium made.

"We're going to spot what happens," helium said. "It's got a mode to go."

Republicans precocious pushed the measurement done the U.S. House of Representatives and are debating it successful the U.S. Senate. Some Republican lawmakers stock Musk's concerns.

"I sympathize with Elon being discouraged," said Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson.

Speaking astatine a Milwaukee Press Club lawsuit connected Wednesday, Johnson added that helium was "pretty confident" determination was capable absorption "to dilatory this process down until the president, our leadership, gets serious" astir reducing spending. He said determination was nary magnitude of unit Trump could enactment connected him to alteration his position.

WATCH | Pressure from Musk:

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has asked senators to marque arsenic fewer changes to the authorities arsenic possible, saying that House Republicans reached a "very delicate balance" that could beryllium upended with large changes. The narrowly divided House volition person to ballot again connected last transition erstwhile the Senate alters the bill.

On Wednesday, Johnson thanked Musk for his enactment and promised to prosecute much spending cuts successful the future, saying "the House is anxious and acceptable to enactment connected DOGE's findings."

The White House is sending immoderate projected rescissions, a mechanics utilized to cancel antecedently authorized spending, to Capitol Hill to solidify immoderate of DOGE's cuts. A spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget said the bundle volition see $1.1 cardinal US from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS, and $8.3 cardinal US successful overseas assistance.

Musk occasionally seemed chastened by his acquisition moving successful government.

"The national bureaucracy concern is overmuch worse than I realized," helium told the Washington Post. "I thought determination were problems, but it definite is an uphill conflict trying to amended things successful D.C., to accidental the least."

He besides precocious said that he'll trim his governmental spending, due to the fact that "I deliberation I've done enough."