Musk's Time in Government Could Be Ending Soon

Companies including Tesla, SpaceX, and Neuralink might soon be getting more attention from their CEO. Politico, citing "three Trump insiders," reported Wednesday that President Trump recently told his inner circle, including Cabinet members, that Musk would soon be stepping back from his role in the administration. In a post on X, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that the news was a "scoop," saying Musk and Trump have both publicly stated "that Elon will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at DOGE is complete." It had been widely rumored that Musk would be staying in the administration for a lot longer, ABC News reports.

According to Politico, Trump is pleased with Musk's work, but some of the president's allies inside and outside the administration are "frustrated with his unpredictability and increasingly view the billionaire as a political liability." In the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, nobody "expended more political capital" than Musk, "with the possible exception of the candidates," the New York Times notes. But Trump began talking about a Musk exit well before Tuesday's vote and discussed his return to the private sector at a Cabinet meeting last week, sources tell outlets including NBC News.

On Monday, Trump said Musk has a "big company to run, and so at some point, he's going to be going back." Musk has also suggested he could be leaving his role in government in the near future. During a Fox News interview last week, host Bret Baier asked Musk whether he plans to stay beyond the 130 days this year permitted under his "special government employee" status, during which he's exempt from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest rules. Musk replied: "I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by $1 trillion within that timeframe." The 130 days will be up in May—or July, if only weekdays are counted—but Politico's sources say Musk is expected to have an informal role as an occasional White House adviser long after that. (More Elon Musk stories.)