President Donald Trump’s allies and officials came out in full force on “Liberation Day” to support his announcement of sweeping tariffs—but one key ally was notably missing.
DOGE chief Elon Musk was absent from the Rose Garden ceremony at the White House on Wednesday, just hours after his quest to elect a conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court justice fell short.
Before announcing the new tariffs, Trump thanked his cabinet officials and Republican lawmakers who were in the audience.
The front row was occupied by top Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
“Thank you all for being with us,” Trump told his allies. “We appreciate it.”
As the president made his big announcement, Musk was over on X engaging with conservative influencers, including “Libs of TikTok.”
Wow
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 2, 2025
Just last week, the cost cutter-in-chief attended a Cabinet meeting—his second—alongside other Senate-confirmed members of the president’s inner circle of advisers.
But it looks like the tides have changed.
Trump has told his Cabinet that Musk will soon be exiting the White House, according to insiders who spoke to Politico Wednesday. The Daily Beast has also confirmed that the world’s richest man informed his friends he will soon depart from the administration.
It’s a massive shift from the White House’s earlier comments that Musk was “here to stay,” despite the time limit on his tenure as DOGE chief. Because Musk is designated as a special government employee he is limited to working only 130 days a year.
The reports follow Brad Schimel’s 10-point loss to Susan Crawford in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election on Tuesday. The conservative candidate suffered a humiliating defeat despite Musk’s dramatic intervention in the high-stakes race.
The billionaire funneled $20 million into Schimel’s bid through his political action committees, which even handed out money to Wisconsin voters in exchange for signing a petition opposing “activist” judges.
Musk arrived to a Green Bay town hall wearing a cheesehead hat. Scott Olson/Getty Images.
Musk personally traveled to Green Bay over the weekend to rally votes for the conservative judge, telling supporters in Wisconsin that the Supreme Court election could “determine the fate of Western civilization.”
“I think it’s one of those things that may seem like it’s obviously important in the state of Wisconsin, but I think it could actually be important for the country as well, and maybe for the world,” Musk said on Sunday after he came out onstage donning a cheese hat.
Soon after the Democratic candidate was declared the winner, Musk switched gears and said he “expected to lose,” arguing that the “most important thing” to him was actually just passing an amendment to the Wisconsin constitution to require voter IDs.
It was a talking point Musk picked up from the president, who reportedly still has great trust in his billionaire buddy and the Department of Government Efficiency.
“This is a BIG WIN FOR REPUBLICANS, MAYBE THE BIGGEST WIN OF THE NIGHT,” Trump said of the voter ID amendment on Tuesday night. “IT SHOULD ALLOW US TO WIN WISCONSIN, LIKE I JUST DID IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, FOR MANY YEARS TO COME!”
