Elon Musk officially leaves US DOGE, admits politics are more difficult than he expected! Has he fallen out with Trump and his brothers?

In the final days of May 2025, Tesla founder and tech giant Elon Musk put an end to his brief “guest appearance” in American politics. He officially announced the end of his appointment as a special government employee at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Although U.S. President Donald Trump emphasized at a White House “farewell” event that Musk “has not truly left” and will continue to serve as a “friend and advisor,” Musk himself admitted that pushing reforms within the government was much more difficult than he initially expected. This series of events, along with Musk’s previous public criticism of certain policies of the Trump administration, has sparked widespread speculation about whether the “brotherly” relationship between the two has frayed and about Musk’s future political influence. Musk Bids Farewell to DOGE

On the morning of May 29, 2025, Musk officially announced his departure from his role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) through a brief post. He wrote, “As my term as a special government employee comes to an end, I want to thank President @realDonaldTrump for giving me the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending. @DOGE’s mission will grow stronger over time, becoming a way of life in government operations.” The DOGE initiative was officially launched by President Trump on January 20, 2025, via executive order, aiming to modernize U.S. government information technology, improve administrative efficiency, and significantly cut wasteful government spending. Musk participated deeply as a “special government employee” and promised to complete his phased tasks within 130 days. His departure now aligns closely with the previously announced timeline. To honor Musk’s contributions to DOGE, President Trump held a “farewell” press conference in the White House Oval Office on May 31. Trump praised Musk for bringing “a generation-level bureaucratic transformation” and personally presented him with a metal key bearing the White House emblem, symbolizing the nation’s gratitude for his contributions. Although Musk’s term under the “Special Government Employee Act” had lasted 130 days, Trump cautiously stated at the press conference, “He hasn’t really left; he’ll be around often… I think he’ll do many more things.” Trump even described the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as Musk’s “child,” implying he wouldn’t completely step away. In response to Trump’s warm reception, Musk said that after his legal term as a “special government employee” ended, he expected to “continue visiting” Washington, D.C., and to remain a “friend and advisor” to the president. He also expressed confidence that DOGE would find more ways to cut government costs and, before the planned mid-2026 end date (with possible extensions), achieve the ambitious goal of reducing $1 trillion in spending. However, Musk also admitted in an interview that implementing sweeping reforms within the government was far more challenging than he anticipated. Bureaucracy, vested interests, and complex regulations posed significant obstacles to efficiency improvements. These comments seem to add another layer of explanation for his departure from DOGE. Notably, despite Trump’s efforts to portray a stable relationship during the farewell event, outside speculation about a possible rift in their “brotherly” bond persists. A key clue was Musk’s previous interview with CBS, where he expressed disappointment with the “Big and Beautiful” spending bill introduced by the Trump government. Musk believed that this bill, which aimed to implement a comprehensive tax cut totaling up to $4.5 trillion over the next decade, would significantly increase the U.S. budget deficit and effectively “undermine” the efforts of his DOGE team to save government costs. He stated in the interview, “I’m disappointed in this huge spending bill; it increases the deficit… and undermines the work of the Department of Government Efficiency… I think a bill can be big and beautiful, but I don’t know if it can be both. That’s my personal opinion.” Critics estimate that the “Big and Beautiful” bill could add between $3.3 trillion and $3.8 trillion to U.S. national debt over the next decade. For a long time, Musk has warned that if the deficit isn’t controlled, the U.S. risks “bankruptcy.” His comments on CBS clearly echoed these concerns about soaring deficits. Additionally, Musk had previously criticized the White House’s trade policies, calling then-trade czar Peter Navarro an “idiot” and “dumber than a bag of bricks,” and suggesting that lowering tariffs might be a better approach. These public criticisms undoubtedly cast a shadow over his relationship with Trump. Musk’s Future Moves

Since its inception, the DOGE department’s results have been highly controversial. Supporters believe Musk’s involvement brought much-needed innovation and private-sector efficiency to a bureaucratic and inefficient government. However, critics argue that many of DOGE’s initiatives lacked substantive results, with claims of saving $10 billion weekly lacking reliable data, and large-scale layoffs potentially weakening regulatory functions and posing long-term governance risks. Now that Musk, the key figure of DOGE, has officially announced his departure, the future direction of the department and who will succeed him remain uncertain, requiring ongoing observation. Meanwhile, Musk has made it clear that he will refocus on his core enterprises, returning to full operational mode, emphasizing: “Back to those days of 24/7 working, sleeping in conference rooms, server rooms, or factories. I now must focus entirely on X, xAI, Tesla, and Starship launches because we are about to roll out some key technologies.” He also reflected on the recent operational disruptions on the X platform, admitting there is significant room for improvement and that the fail-safe backup mechanisms that should have been activated did not operate properly, which must be thoroughly reviewed. Following the news, Tesla’s stock price rose in after-hours trading, seemingly reflecting market optimism about Musk dedicating more energy to corporate operations. The Indispensable “Musk Advisor”

Overall, although Musk has officially left DOGE, his political alliance with Trump does not appear to be completely dissolved. Based on Trump’s remarks, Musk is likely to continue advising the White House on policy and reform initiatives, maintaining his influence in Washington. For Musk, stepping away from official roles temporarily can help mitigate external criticism of him juggling multiple key roles and “divided attention,” while also avoiding complete disconnection from the White House to preserve policy influence. It seems both sides have “cut ties” on the surface but still retain considerable room for maneuver. In this interaction between tech giants and political power, the boundaries between politics and business remain blurred. Musk has simply chosen to continue participating as a more flexible “advisor,” and how his future role and influence will evolve remains a key focus for the market. #Elon Musk Announces Departure from Trump Administration