‘Disappointed’ Elon Musk splits with Trump
Tech billionaire Elon Musk says he’s leaving his political role, not long after aiming a spray at a centrepiece of US President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda.
Billionaire entrepreneur, Musk posted about his decision on X, his social media website, on Wednesday (US time).
“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President Donald Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” he wrote.
“The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
A White House official, who requested anonymity to talk about the change, confirmed that Musk was leaving.
Musk’s departure came a day after he criticised Trump’s “big beautiful bill”, saying he was disappointed by it. The legislation includes a mix of tax cuts and enhanced immigration enforcement.
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As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 29, 2025
The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.
Musk told CBS it was a “massive spending bill” that increased the federal deficit and “undermines the work” of his Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE.
“I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful,” Musk said.
“But I don’t know if it could be both.”
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Musk also revealed he felt he had been treated unfairly during his time in politics.
“The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realised. I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in [Washington] DC, to say the least,” he told The Washington Post.
“DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything. So, like, something bad would happen anywhere, and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do with it.”
In the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump defended his agenda by talking about the delicate politics involved with negotiating the legislation.
“I’m not happy about certain aspects of it, but I’m thrilled by other aspects of it,” he said.
Trump also suggested that more changes could be made.
“We’re going to see what happens,” he said.
“It’s got a way to go.”
US House Speaker Mike Johnson thanked Musk for his work and promised to pursue more spending cuts in the future, saying “the House is eager and ready to act on DOGE’s findings”.
Musk’s criticism comes as he steps back from his government work, rededicating himself to companies like the electric automaker Tesla and rocket manufacturer SpaceX.
He’s also said he’ll reduce his political spending, because “I think I’ve done enough”.
