Cliff Notes
- Donald Trump indicated that Elon Musk would leave his government position as a special employee by the end of May, although it remains uncertain if this will occur as scheduled.
- During a cabinet meeting, Trump referred to Musk as a “patriot” and noted that he had never requested anything from the administration.
- The announcement follows reports of death threats against Musk’s DOGE team and controversies surrounding significant federal workforce reductions initiated under the Department of Government Efficiency.
Elon Musk to step back from government role ‘in coming months’ | US News
Donald Trump has told members of his cabinet that Elon Musk will leave his government role in the coming months.
A senior White House official told NBC News that the US president had discussed the Tesla and X boss transitioning back to the private sector at a cabinet meeting last month.
Mr Trump is said to have called Mr Musk a “patriot” at the end of the meeting on 24 March, and told the room that “he has never asked me for a thing”.
On Monday in the Oval Office, the president said Mr Musk would at some point be going back to his businesses.
The official said Mr Musk would leave at the end of his 130 days as a special government employee.
That would be 30 May, but it is unclear if the billionaire businessman will indeed leave on that date.
Previously, the White House said that as a temporary organisation, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) would be terminated on 4 July next year – the 250th anniversary of the US.
It comes days after Mr Musk said some members of his DOGE team were getting death threats on a daily basis.
Mr Musk had drawn criticism over his efforts to downsize the US federal government.