As his employment limit nears, Elon Musk could be leaving DOGE soon

Elon Musk's polarising role in leading US President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency may soon come to an end, with Trump telling reporters "at some point, he’s going to be going back" to running his companies.

The White House has not disclosed any clear timeline for closing down DOGE, and the government cost-cutting organization 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 already is winding down. DOGE employees have been shifted to various federal agencies, which are supposed to take the lead on cutting costs. Government-wide layoffs are underway 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.

Musk was hired as a special government employee, which means he can only work 130 days in a 365-day time period. While he did not commit to leaving the administration by any particular date, it will be 130 days since Trump’s inauguration on 30 May.

On Wednesday, White House officials told Politico that Musk would indeed step down soon, indicating a shift from a month ago, when White House officials said they would find a way for Musk to surpass the 130-day limit.

Musk faced a setback Tuesday in Wisconsin, where voters rejected his choice for a state Supreme Court candidate despite more than $21 million in personal donations and his campaign appearance over the weekend. There are more problems for the billionaire entrepreneur at Tesla, his electric automaker, which saw a 13% drop in sales in the first three months of the year.

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

“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 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,” he added.