Why is 'talented guy' Elon Musk stepping down as DOGE chief

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Elon Musk will step down as head of the department of government efficiency due to regulations limiting special government employees to 130 days. His tenure saw significant budget cuts and a new reporting system before tensions rose. President Trump and Musk confirmed his departure as planned, dismissing speculations of a rift between them.

Elon Musk, a key figure in Trump’s administration since January, is expected to step down as the head of the DOGE, at the end of next month.

His exit has sparked speculations of a possible rift with Donald Trump, even though his departure was expected because of federal regulations that limit special government employees (SGEs) to a maximum of 130 consecutive days in office.

For Musk, that timeline means his last day at the department of government efficiency will be 30 May, exactly 130 days after Trump’s inauguration.

Trump himself had addressed Musk’s eventual exit earlier this week, confirming that the plan had always been to let the tech mogul return to civilian life once his work was done.

“At some point, he’s going to be going back … I’ll keep him as long as I can keep him, he’s a very talented guy,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday.

Musk, too, acknowledged the 130-day limit in a recent interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, saying: “I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by $1 trillion within that time frame.”

Even before Trump took office, Musk had hinted at his temporary role, declaring that the “final step of DOGE is to delete itself.”

However, many have suggested Musk’s departure signals tensions between the billionaire entrepreneur and the president.

“The news represents a shift in the Trump-Musk relationship from a month ago, when White House officials & allies were predicting Musk was ‘here to stay’ and that Trump would find a way to blow past the 130-day time limit,” Politico capitol bureau chief Rachel Bade wrote on X, calling it a “SCOOP.”

Her post, however, quickly faced widespread ridicule online, including from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who dismissed the claim outright.

“This ‘scoop’ is garbage,” Leavitt wrote in response, before reiterating the facts. “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.”

During his short tenure, Musk has left a major mark on the administration, spearheading deep budget cuts at the US agency for international development, the department of education, the consumer financial protection bureau, and the social security administration. The sweeping layoffs also triggered violent protests targeting Tesla vehicles, prompting the Trump administration to crack down on vandalism and label the attacks as “domestic terrorism.”

“I think a great wrong is being done to the people of Tesla and to our customers,” Musk told Baier. “I mean, Tesla’s a peaceful company that has made great cars, great products — that’s all it’s done.”

Musk also made headlines by implementing a weekly reporting system for federal employees, requiring them to submit a progress update with five bullet points detailing their accomplishments. However, following backlash, Trump later clarified that DOGE would act more as “tech support” rather than a human resources department.

The White House has also confirmed that Musk has been using his expertise to investigate how The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was added to a confidential Trump administration Signal group chat discussing military operations against the Houthis in Yemen on 15 March.

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