(Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
UPDATE: In a Friday afternoon Oval Office appearance with Elon Musk, President Trump said the Tesla CEO is "really not leaving, [and will] be back and forth" because DOGE is "his baby."
Musk noted that his role as a special government employee (SGE) limits his time in White House, but said he will still visit the White House and "be a friend and advisor to the president."
"This is not the end of DOGE, but really the beginning," he added. "The DOGE team will only grow stronger over time, and the DOGE influence will only grow stronger. It's like a way of life [that's] permeating throughout the government."
Neither Trump nor Musk faced any particularly hard-hitting questions from the assembled press, many of whom are now from right-wing outlets. (One person asked Musk whether it harder to run DOGE or get to Mars.) Musk dodged a question about his alleged drug use, instead attacking the New York Times, which reported the story.
Musk then criticized the "banal evil of bureaucracy," which he said is "largely uncaring."
Detractors like Bill Gates argue that it's Musk who's trafficking in evil, given the haphazard cuts to health programs like USAID. "The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one," Gates told The Financial Times in a recent interview.
'You Build a Car, Make It in America'
Trump, meanwhile, was asked if he was concerned about his tariffs affecting Tesla. "He's going to end up building his car here," Trump responded. "I thought he built his whole car [in the US]; pretty much, he does."
The president said it "bothers" him that automakers manufacture different car parts around the globe. "You build a car, make it in America," he said. "Over next year, they've got to have the whole thing built in America; that's what we want."
Musk did not weigh in on that. Tesla does have a robust US manufacturing presence, with Gigafactories in California, Nevada, New York, and Texas. As not a tesla app reported last fall, between 60 and 75% of its vehicles are made in the US and Canada, citing NHTSA data. But it also sources parts from China, like batteries for its less expensive models.
In April, Tesla also stopped selling the Model S and Model X in China due to tariff costs.
Original Story 5/29:
Elon Musk has officially left his role with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk spent the last few days teasing his departure, suggesting he would refocus his attention on ventures like Tesla, SpaceX, and his social media network X. In a Wednesday night tweet, he wrote, "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."
Musk began his tenure as a "special government employee" (SGE) following Trump's inauguration. This designation allows people with special skills to hold government positions for 130 days per year without divesting from their private businesses.
The White House confirmed to Reuters that Musk's offboarding began last night following a decision "at a senior staff level." Musk did not have a direct conversation with Trump about his departure, though he's been talking about it publicly for a few weeks.
DOGE aimed to cut up to $2 trillion in spending across the US government. In April, it revised those estimates to $150 billion. An official tracker puts things at $175 billion so far, but there are some discrepancies in the numbers, such as including cuts that were canceled before DOGE's inception.
It could all be a big blip, however. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that a proposed spending bill, known as Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill," would increase the federal deficit by $3.8 trillion due to tax cuts.
In an interview with CBS on Tuesday, Musk said he's disappointed with that, arguing that it undermines cost-cutting efforts from DOGE. "I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don't know if it can be both. My personal opinion."
Previously, Musk said he would be reducing his work in the US government, but he had planned to continue to contribute one or two days a week to the project. It's unclear if that's still the case, though he likely still has a direct line to the White House and Trump for now.
Musk's businesses have suffered while he focused on DOGE, including a big drop in Tesla sales and vandalism at various dealerships. There were rumors that Tesla was looking to oust Musk as CEO, but the company denies it. Last week, there were also multiple outages on X, while SpaceX's latest Starship test flight had another fiery end.
On Saturday, Musk said, "Back to spending 24/7 at work and sleeping in conference/server/factory rooms. I must be super focused on 𝕏/xAI and Tesla."