
Trump says Musk will step back from US government role

United States President Donald Trump has reportedly told his cabinet that Elon Musk will soon step back from his role in the administration, as his set government employment period nears its end and Tesla sales fall. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) organisation has moved to drastically cut U.S. government spending, lay off its employees, and dismantle its agencies. At least 56,000 government workers have been fired since Trump’s inauguration, with 75,000 accepting buyouts, and another 171,000 dismissals are reportedly planned. “At some point Elon’s gonna want to go back to his company,” said Trump. “I’d keep him as long as I could keep him.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied the report. "Elon Musk and President Trump have both publicly stated that Elon will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at DOGE is complete,” she said on X. Special government employees are limited to 130 days of work at the U.S. government. This would expire at the end of May, if Musk was granted employee status immediately after Trump’s inauguration in January. Musk said last week that he expects to have completed his planned government spending cuts by the ex