Elon Musk is winding down his role as the head figure of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a temporary government task force established by President Donald Trump.
The tech mogul confirmed the transition on X, stating that his stint as a special government employee is drawing to a close.
“The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” Musk posted, reflecting on the department’s impact. The White House later verified the accuracy of Musk’s announcement, confirming to Fox News offboarding had begun Wednesday night.
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DOGE was created through an executive order signed by Trump on January 20 and tasked with rooting out waste, corruption, and inefficiencies across federal agencies. Musk, who has served as the initiative’s public face, was appointed as a “special government employee”, a temporary designation dating back to 1962 that limits service to 130 days per year. Musk’s tenure began on Inauguration Day and is set to conclude May 30.
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Under the executive order, DOGE is designed to be a short-term, cross-agency entity and will officially disband by July 4, 2026. Both Musk and Trump had previously acknowledged that the billionaire’s role was meant to be temporary.
In an April interview with Fox News‘ Bret Baier, Musk addressed his timeline: “You, technically, are a special government employee and you’re supposed to be 130 days… Are you going to continue past that or do you think that’s what you’re going to do?” Baier asked. “I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that timeframe,” Musk replied.
President Donald Trump also alluded to Musk’s upcoming departure during remarks to reporters on March 31: “I think he’s amazing. But I also think he’s got a big company to run,” he said. “And so at some point he’s going to be going back… I’d keep him as long as I can keep him… He’s a very talented guy. You know, I love very smart people. He’s very smart. And he’s done a good job… DOGE is, we’ve found numbers that nobody can even believe.”
In a Tesla earnings call on April 22, Musk announced a shift in his priorities.
“I think starting probably in next month, May, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly,” he said. “I’ll have to continue doing it for… the remainder of the president’s term just to make sure the waste and fraud that we stopped does not come roaring back… I’ll continue to spend… a day or two per week on government matters… as long as the president would like me to do so and as long as it is useful.”
“But starting next month,” he continued, “I’ll be allocating far more of my time to Tesla now that the major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency is done.”
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Despite his influence and visibility, Elon Musk does not hold a formal government position within the rebranded United States DOGE Service (formerly the U.S. Digital Service). In March, acting DOGE administrator Amy Gleason clarified in a court declaration, “Elon Musk does not work at USDS. I do not report to him, and he does not report to me. To my knowledge, he is a Senior Advisor to the White House.”
While he has advised on policy, Musk has no direct authority over government decisions, a White House official confirmed in a separate February filing.
His involvement in the Trump administration drew sharp criticism from Democrats and activist groups, who staged protests targeting Musk’s companies and attempted to impact Tesla’s stock performance.
Musk’s political alignment became more overt during the 2024 election cycle. Following an assassination attempt on Trump in July of that year, Musk publicly backed him.
“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk posted, sharing footage of the bloodied candidate raising a fist and shouting “Fight, fight, fight!”
He also hosted Trump for a long-form interview on X during the campaign trail.
Throughout his short-term tenure, Trump repeatedly commended Musk’s contributions to cutting federal waste. During his March address to Congress, Trump offered high praise: “Thank you, Elon. He’s working very hard. He didn’t need this. He didn’t need this. Thank you very much. We appreciate it. Everybody here, even this side, appreciates it, I believe. They just don’t want to admit that.”
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