Elon Musk has officially exited his controversial yet headline-grabbing stint in government, stepping down from his role with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) days earlier than planned—citing deep concerns over the Trump administration’s latest spending agenda.
Originally set to complete his 130-day term as a Special Government Employee on May 28, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO resigned early following his sharp criticism of what President Trump hailed as his “big, beautiful bill”—a massive new federal spending package.
In a preview clip aired by CBS on May 27, Musk pulled no punches:
“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill. Frankly, it increases the budget deficit—not decreases it—and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.”
He quipped, “I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful… but I don’t know if it can be both.”
Following Musk’s remarks, the White House reportedly fast-tracked his departure, according to the BBC.
Taking to his platform X, Musk confirmed his exit with a message that struck a note of both closure and optimism:
“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I’d like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending. The @DOGE mission will only grow stronger as it becomes a way of life across government.”
While President Trump has yet to release an official statement, a cryptic meme posted on Truth Social showed him walking alone down a dimly lit street, captioned: “He’s on a mission from God & nothing can stop what is coming.”
Musk’s role—unelected but highly visible—was shared with entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Together, they led DOGE with an ambitious goal: cut bureaucracy, trim costs, and eliminate inefficiencies. That plan included sweeping layoffs, defunding DEI programs, and slashing budgets for departments like Education.
Musk had previously vowed to shutter the entire DOGE department by July 4, 2026, symbolically aligning the end of government bloat with Independence Day.
What’s in the “Big, Beautiful Bill”?
The newly proposed spending bill, which narrowly cleared the House, includes trillions in tax breaks, a significant boost to defense spending, and funding for President Trump’s ambitious “Golden Dome” missile defense system. However, it still faces hurdles in the Senate.
Critics, Musk among them, warn it could balloon the federal budget by $600 billion in just one fiscal year—flying in the face of DOGE’s core mission of fiscal restraint.
Although Musk’s government tenure was always temporary, his abrupt departure—and the public rebuke of Trump’s economic policies—signals a major split between two of the Republican Party’s most high-profile figures.