Elon Musk, who was triumphantly seated at a Trump rally in Washington hours after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, declared, “I am going to work my tail off for you guys.”
He then exhaled deeply and burst into mirth as he absorbed the immense responsibility he was about to assume: the leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency under the administration, with the objective of eliminating the federal bureaucracy.
“I am eagerly anticipating this.” Musk grinned from ear to ear as he declared, “This is going to be fantastic.”
However, the Musk who once held up a chainsaw to demonstrate his power as a government slasher and became the most prominent face of the White House behind Trump has begun to disappear 100 days into Trump’s second White House term. The world’s wealthiest individual is expected to divert his attention from the Trump administration in favor of his DOGE initiative, which he initiated.
Musk’s departure from the White House is the result of the polarizing image he has established as the president of the United States’ primary sidekick, which has had a detrimental impact on his companies, particularly Tesla.
However, his function, which was already noticeably diminishing, also became a political liability for Trump.
Musk seized control of Washington by employing a battering weapon to attack the federal government and by establishing the administration’s agenda. However, in the past few weeks, Musk has significantly reduced his estimates of the savings that taxpayers will receive from DOGE’s government cuts. Additionally, he has publicly expressed his disagreement with Trump’s aggressive tariff policies and has engaged in public disputes with numerous Trump officials, some of whom have publicly expressed their frustration with Musk’s influence. These actions have exposed the divisions within the White House regarding Musk’s authority.
In a Tesla earnings call on April 22, Musk expressed a sense of melancholy, as he disclosed that he would be devoting a significantly reduced amount of time to DOGE starting in May, a stark contrast to the jubilation he demonstrated three months prior. Tesla, the electric car company he owned, had recently reported a 71% decrease in net income for the previous quarter.
“As many of you are aware, there has been some backlash regarding the time I have spent in government with the Department of Government Efficiency,” Musk stated. He attributed the protests that have followed him and Tesla to paid individuals who he claimed were reliant on the government “waste and fraud” that he had eradicated.
Musk, a senior White House adviser, stated that he would devote only one or two days per week to government work in his reduced capacity, “for as long as the president desires and for as long as it is beneficial.”
Musk is no longer ubiquitous; he is now relegated to a secondary role
The duration of the Trump-Musk marriage was a topic of much speculation from the moment Musk began contributing his substantial personal resources to Trump’s 2024 campaign and began campaigning for Trump last year.
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