A comment Donald Trump made about Elon Musk is recirculating after reports the Tesla boss is set to step down from his government role – and his DOGE department could also disappear
Donald Trump shared a telling comment about Elon Musk after reportedly informing his cabinet the Tesla boss will soon be stepping back. The controversial tech boss – turned president’s right hand man – has shaken America with his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but Trump has suggested the businessman’s department will soon cease to exist.
The world’s richest man’s time in government has seen him oversee huge cuts to crucial services and departments across the country, but his personal companies have been hit hard by his political antics. His beloved Tesla cars have been ditched by drivers and boycotts have cost Musk billions.
New reports revealed Trump could ditch Musk following weeks of tensions between the billionaire and major government officials, including an alleged bust up with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This comes just after Trump’s telling comment about Musk in which he suggested the entrepreneur would step away from DOGE and The White House, in a press conference on Monday.
The US Commander-in-chief said: “I think he’s amazing, but I also think he’s got a big company to run. And so, at some point, he’s going to be going back.” Trump also suggested the controversial DOGE could be wiped from the US government without Musk, adding: “At a certain point I think it will end.”
Trump continued to boast about his bizarre relationship with Musk saying, “I’d keep him as long as I could keep him” and “he’s a very talented guy” – yet Politico reports he’s told his inner circle Musk will soon exit the White House.
Musk’s nail in the coffin could have been his multi-million-dollar flop in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race on Tuesday. The businessman poured an eye-watering £16 million to back the conservative judge Brad Schimel but Democrat Susan Crawford shocked Trump’s crew by nailing a landslide victory.
The world’s richest man came into the US government as a special government employee, meaning he would only be able to work 130 days in a 365-day period. Musk claimed his role and alleged cost cutting crusade would be done by his 130-day deadline, in a boastful comment to Fox News on March 27.
He said: “I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that time frame.” Despite his claims, DOGE is set to fail meeting this target by its own numbers.
The billionaire also did not confirm a timeline or date for his reported departure from Washington. The 130-day deadline from Trump’s inauguration on 20 January is set to fall on 30 May.
This potential government shake up came just before Trump unleashed a tirade of tariffs on goods from across the globe on 2 April – which he dubbed “Liberation Day”. The US President claimed the move would “make America wealthy again” but fears around a potential global recession have sparked.