Elon Musk is kissing the White House and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) goodbye, while trashing President Donald Trump’s spending bill, The Associated Press reported.
The Tesla and SpaceX founder made his grand exit May 28 after close to six months of causing chaotic federal layoffs, eliminating government agencies, and starting a narrative that South Africa is behind the “genocide” of white South Africans, in addition to being tied up in dozens of lawsuits. The billionaire also struggled with fitting into the political realm of Washington, D.C. and his role within the Trump administration.
During his short-lived tenure, Musk drastically reduced his target spending reduction, going from $2 trillion to $1 trillion to $150 billion, in a short amount of time, in addition to constant resistance to his goals. He suffered from the “mean guy” experience by coming to blows with other members of the cabinet.
However, announcing his exit on X, Musk thanked his friend for this time in Washington and said DOGE isn’t going anywhere, but will only get stronger upon his departure. “As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” he wrote.
“The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
But he didn’t leave without having something to say. Just days after the Republican-majority House passed Trump’s “one big beautiful” bill — adding an estimated $4 trillion to the country’s already high debt — Musk said he was “disappointed” in the notion and highlighted how it diminishes all the work that DOGE has done. “I’m disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly,” Musk said during a CBS Mornings interview, according to WBAL TV.
“[It] increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work the DOGE team is doing. I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful. But I don’t know if it could be both.”
Some House GOP members share the same sentiments as Musk. Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said “I sympathize with Elon being discouraged” while adding that he is confident that there will be enough opposition “to slow this process down until the president, our leadership, gets serious” about reducing spending.
Musk can now return to his duties at Tesla, which has been facing grave backlash _ and revenue drop — since Musk jumped on the Trump train. The EV brand has been the target of protests and vandalism as a number of owners have traded their vehicles in, in efforts to not be attacked.
