Elon Musk will quit Doge soon, Donald Trump tells allies

Elon Musk is likely to retain an informal role in Trump's government. Photo /Getty Images

• Elon Musk is set to leave his government role, as agreed with Donald Trump.
• Musk’s exit follows frustration from Cabinet members and his failure to sway the Wisconsin Supreme Court election.
• Trump remains pleased with Musk, who may retain an informal advisory role after his departure.

Elon Musk will leave his Government role soon, Donald Trump has told his inner circle.

The President is said to have told his closest allies, including members of his Cabinet, that the Tesla billionaire will soon step back from his job as a “special government employee” at the helm of Doge, the department created to scrap wasteful government spending.

Both men have agreed that it is time for Musk to develop an exit strategy and return to his businesses, according to Politico.

It’s not clear if Musk’s failure to sway voters in the Wisconsin Supreme Court, in which he donated US$21 million ($36m) to the Republican candidate, will expedite his departure. Trump carried Wisconsin in November’s Presidential election.

Musk’s time serving as one of Trump’s top advisers has frustrated some Cabinet members who have privately accused him of overreach.

By his own admission, Musk has taken a chainsaw to the federal workforce since arriving in Washington, resulting in mass firings and the shutdown of entire government departments.

The President, however, remains pleased with Musk despite frustration from those closest to him and he is likely to retain an informal role as an adviser, according to Politico.

The transition is likely to coincide with the end of his designation as “special government employee”, which limits him to 130 days of service during a one-year period.

Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary called Politico’s reporting “garbage”, writing: “Elon Musk and President 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.”

On Monday, Trump hinted that Musk would have to go back to running his companies fulltime saying: “He’s got a big company to run ... At some point he’s going to be going back.

“He wants to. I’d keep him as long as I could keep him,” he added.

Tesla reported this morning that its first-quarter vehicle deliveries fell 13% against the first quarter of 2024 to 336,681, according to a market filing. The total was beneath analysts’ expectations, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Sales fell 2% in the US, where boycotts were partially offset by the company’s new Model Y but slumped badly in Europe - including Germany where Tesla deliveries fell 76.3% in February compared with the same period last year.

The de facto head of Doge, sitting alongside his aides, told Fox News’ Bret Baier last week that he expected to accomplish “most of the work required to reduce the deficit by $1 trillion” within the 130-day timeframe.

Musk, who was at the centre of a fiery Cabinet showdown earlier this month, was given a seat at Trump’s Cabinet meeting table for the first time last week.

The scene was of stark contrast to last month’s meeting, in which the Telegraph revealed Musk was branded a “liar” by Cabinet members.

Sean Duffy, the Transport Secretary, was enraged by Musk’s attempts to cull air traffic controllers despite the national shortage.

While the President watched on, Doug Collins, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, claimed operations were being cancelled in Veteran Affairs hospitals because of Musk’s Doge cuts.

Musk was left humiliated on Monday when the Republican nominee for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat, whose campaign he funded, lost to the Democratic challenger.

Susan Crawford overcame criticism by Trump and a US$21m donation to her Republican opponent by Musk.

Her victory is a boost for the Democrats, who had framed the race around the popularity of Trump and Musk.

During the campaign, Musk said the race could “decide the future of America and Western civilisation”.

- With reporting by Herald staff