Elon Musk has dismissed rumors of his imminent departure from the Trump administration as “Fake News”. Musk’s comment came in response to a tweet from White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, who labeled the alleged “scoop” as “garbage”.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk appears to be nearing the end of his tenure as the head of Doge and possibly as a looming shadow over President Donald Trump. According to Politico, Trump has already confided in his inner circle that Tesla’s founder will soon leave his role as a special government employee, which cannot exceed 130 days of work per year and is set to expire between late May and June. However, the White House denies this, stating that “This ‘scoop’ is garbage. Musk and Trump have both publicly stated that Elon will leave public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at Doge is completed,” wrote spokesperson Karoline Leavitt on X.
Musk’s return to his entrepreneurial activities has boosted Tesla’s stock, which rose by 4.50% after the rumors surfaced, recovering from the initial 6% loss due to a 13% drop in sales in the first quarter (the lowest since 2022).
The billionaire’s exit and the implementation of a 25% tariff on all cars imported into the United States could help Tesla regain some lost ground. This is partly due to increased competition from Chinese automakers (Byd’s sales rose by 58% in the first quarter) and partly due to Musk’s controversial role as a political influencer in the Trump administration and his support for the far right in Europe, which has made the automaker a target of political protests, boycotts, and vandalism. Musk himself had announced on Fox his exit within the 130-day timeline and his belief in being able to cut a trillion dollars in government spending by that deadline. It remains to be seen if he will succeed, but his mission will be continued by his team at Doge and the same ministers, as hinted at by Trump, who expressed confidence in a “more surgical than ax-like” approach.
Musk’s imminent withdrawal comes amid growing frustration from some administration insiders and many external allies due to his unpredictability and political omnipresence, which can be detrimental at times. As evidenced by the first electoral defeat after the presidential elections: Brad Schimel, the conservative candidate vocally supported by Tesla’s founder in the elections to replace a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, lost by about 10 points to Susan Crawford, who will maintain the liberal majority on the bench (4 to 3) in a closely-won state that the tycoon narrowly won in the last elections. It was a significant defeat, despite the backing of Trump and Musk, who supported him with all their media weight. In Musk’s case, he donated a hefty $20 million and handed out million-dollar checks to those who signed a petition against “activist judges”, turning a local race into the most expensive judicial election in American history.
All these efforts were in vain, giving hope to Democrats after their approval rating dropped to 27%, the lowest in at least a generation, and their brand was described as “toxic” by progressive California Governor Gavin Newsom. Barack Obama congratulated the people of Wisconsin “for electing a judge who believes in the rule of law and the protection of our freedoms”. Senator Bernie Sanders praised Crawford for “defeating the world’s richest person” and setting an example for the entire country. “Today, the people of Wisconsin have rejected an unprecedented attack on our democracy. They stood up and said loud and clear that justice is not for sale. Our courts are not for sale,” declared the new judge. Trump refrained from commenting and instead celebrated the success of a referendum held alongside the election, which will require voters to present a photo ID to vote. Musk echoed this sentiment, making the best of a bad situation. The president also found solace in the expected reelection of two Republican seats in his stronghold of Florida: his candidates, Randy Fine and Jimmy Patronis, won the seats vacated by Matt Gaetz, who was appointed Minister of Justice but had to resign due to a series of scandals, and by Mike Waltz, the national security adviser embroiled in the chat-gate scandal and now under fire for using Gmail for sensitive information. However, Fine’s victory was much narrower than Trump’s, causing alarm among Republicans ahead of the 2026 Midterm elections.
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