Following his disagreement with Trump over the tax package, Elon Musk announced his resignation from the US government.
On Wednesday night, the White House confirmed that Elon Musk's exit from the Trump administration was imminent, following his social media announcement.
"I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to decrease unnecessary spending as my allotted time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end," the billionaire posted on his social media site, X.
Referring to his "department of government efficiency," he stated that "the DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government."
Musk is departing the administration, and his "off-boarding will commence tonight," a White House official confirmed to Reuters.
The man who once referred to himself as Trump's "first pal" left with little fanfare. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Musk announced his departure from the government "at a high staff level" and did not have a formal discussion with Trump before making the announcement.
The richest person in the world, Musk, has justified his position as an unelected official who was given extraordinary power by Trump to dissolve portions of the US government. Around May 30, his 130-day term as a special federal employee under the Trump administration was about to end.
DOGE's efforts to reorganize and reduce the size of the federal government will continue, according to statements made by both Musk and the administration.
Throughout the week, Musk has been making indications that he is leaving Washington and that he will return to his business endeavors. He voiced his displeasure with the response to the work of his own "department of government efficiency" and harshly criticized Trump's budget plan.
He criticized the president's flagship tax package, saying it was too costly and would jeopardize his efforts to increase government "efficiency."
"I did not realize how bad the federal bureaucracy situation was," Musk told the Washington Post on Tuesday. "I suspected there were issues, but to put it mildly, attempting to make things better in DC is a difficult task."
Additionally, he told the Post that Doge had been reduced to a "whipping boy" who was blamed for all the mishaps in the Trump White House.
In addition to publicly denouncing White House trade adviser Peter Navarro as a "moron" for rejecting Musk's call for "zero tariffs" between the US and Europe, Musk had a falling out with several cabinet-level officials in private.
According to the New York Times, Musk recently complained to White House officials about an agreement between Abu Dhabi and OpenAI, the rival AI company run by Sam Altman. According to the Wall Street Journal, Musk has previously attempted to sabotage the agreement unless his business was involved.
Despite Musk spending $25 million on the election, the failure of his Wisconsin judicial candidate also contributed to the billionaire's recent "disillusionment" with politics, according to the New York Times.
