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Elon Musk is reportedly stepping down from his leadership role at DOGE, with the reasons now starting to surface: he’s been a major letdown.
Both the White House and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt have dismissed the reports, which describe the billionaire as an ‘unpredictable, unmanageable force.'”
On Wednesday, April 2, Politico reported that President Donald Trump informed his inner circle that Musk – often referred to as ‘First Buddy’ – plans to step back from his advisory role at DOGE, or the Department of Government Efficiency.
The advisory board was initially created to function outside of government with the goal of ‘dismantling government bureaucracy, slashing unnecessary regulations, cutting wasteful spending, and restructuring federal agencies.’
Since its inception, the organization has eliminated thousands of federal jobs and departments, aiming to reduce the federal budget by at least $1 trillion.
The report hinted at a growing rift between Trump and Musk – who have been inseparable for months – finally taking its toll.
The White House swiftly dismissed the claims, with Leavitt posting on X: ‘This ‘scoop’ is nonsense. Both Elon Musk and President Trump have publicly stated that Elon will step down from public service as a special government employee once his remarkable work at DOGE is finished.’
Tesla’s founder also responded, saying, ‘Yeah, fake news.’
However, the quick backlash to the report has fueled even more speculation that Musk may have been pushed out of the administration.
Musk, 53, is reportedly not seeing eye-to-eye with Trump’s Chief of Staff, Wiles, who has been frustrated by the businessman’s failure to keep her informed about DOGE’s plans.
Insiders now suggest that Wiles may have been behind the report of Musk’s exit from DOGE.
It is also believed that Musk hasn’t been beneficial for Trump, particularly after failing to help Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel win, despite donating $20 million to the campaign. Sources say Trump was left ‘highly disappointed’ by the outcome.
Musk’s departure from DOGE might actually be a positive move, as his recent actions have caused a significant downturn for Tesla.
Tesla recently wrapped up its worst quarter since 2022, with the company’s shares dropping 36% in the first three months of the year.
During a rally on March 30 in support of a right-wing judge, Musk told the crowd, ‘My Tesla stock and the stock of everyone who holds Tesla has gone, went roughly in half… This is a very expensive job, is what I’m saying.’
There are also signs that if Musk does indeed step down from DOGE, Tesla’s stock could rebound, as it rose by five percent following the publication of the Politico report.
