Musk’s time at White House and DOGE ‘will end’ soon, Trump hints

Washington: DOGE’s days appear to be numbered.

Elon Musk recently suggested that he will be done with his work in the near future. US President Donald Trump told reporters that “at some point, he’s going to be going back” to running his companies. As far as the Department of Government Efficiency, Trump said, “it will end”.

All of that talk was before Musk lost in Wisconsin, where voters rejected his choice for a state Supreme Court candidate despite more than $US21 million ($33 million) in personal donations and his campaign appearance over the weekend. There are more problems for the billionaire entrepreneur at Tesla, his electric vehicle maker, which saw a 13 per cent drop in sales in the first three months of the year.

Trump, Elon Musk and son X Æ A-Xii at the White House last month.Credit: AP

The White House has not disclosed any clear timeline for closing down DOGE, and the government cost-cutting organisation was never supposed to become a permanent fixture in Washington. But it could be reaching a conclusion faster than anticipated. DOGE was originally intended to operate until July 4, 2026.

Now, there are signs that it is already winding down. DOGE employees have been shifted to various federal agencies, which are supposed to take the lead on cutting costs. Government-wide lay-offs are under way to accomplish some of the goals laid out by Musk and Trump.

“We think probably over the next two or three months, we’ll be pretty much satisfied with the people that are working hard and want to be members of the administration,” Trump said last week.

But according to Politico on Thursday (AEDT), Trump has told his inner circle Musk will leave soon and that both men have come to the conclusion it’s time for Musk to return to his businesses and take a “supporting role”. One senior administration official told the magazine that anyone who thinks Musk is going to disappear entirely from Trump’s orbit is “fooling themselves”.

The potential end of DOGE does not mean Trump will stop shaking up Washington. But it appears the administration’s efforts will be entering a new phase that is less focused on Musk, whose chainsaw-wielding work as a presidential adviser made him a political lightning rod.

DOGE was initially envisioned as an independent advisory panel, with Musk sharing leadership with biotech entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy dropped out and is running for Ohio governor, and DOGE became part of the government. It was stocked with Musk’s allies, who were dispatched throughout the bureaucracy to cancel contracts, access sensitive data and push for cuts.

Musk presumably has a ticking clock on his tenure. He was hired as a special government employee, which means he can only work 130 days in a 365-day time period.

“I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that time frame,” Musk told Bret Baier of Fox News on March 27. So far, DOGE is well short of that target, according to its own calculations, which have been criticised as inflated and inaccurate.

Musk did not commit to leaving the administration by any particular date, and it is unclear how the administration is tracking Musk’s time. On May 30, it will be 130 days since Trump’s inauguration on January 20

After the Politico report, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “Elon Musk and President Trump have both publicly stated that Elon will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at DOGE is complete.”

On Monday, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, “I’d keep him as long as I could keep him” and “he’s a very talented guy”.

Trump was known for explosive break-ups with top advisers during his first term, but anyone hoping for such a split with Musk has been disappointed.

“I think he’s amazing, but I also think he’s got a big company to run,” Trump said. “And so, at some point, he’s going to be going back.”

Asked if DOGE would continue without Musk, Trump demurred. He said cabinet officials have worked closely with Musk and may keep some of the DOGE people at their agencies.

“But at a certain point, I think it will end,” Trump said.

Musk’s poll numbers lag behind Trump’s, which Democrats believe they were able to use to their advantage in Wisconsin.

Susan Crawford defeated Brad Schimel, who Musk supported, and ensured the state Supreme Court’s liberal majority.

In the closing days of that campaign, Musk described the race as “important for the future of civilisation.” He struck a different tone afterwards.

“I expected to lose, but there is value to losing a piece for a positional gain,” Musk wrote on X at 3.13am.

AP

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