Why Is Elon Musk Leaving the Trump Administration?

Elon Musk is no longer part of President Donald Trump's administration.

According to Associated Press, Musk has departed his role as a special government employee after 130 days as part of the Trump administration. Musk was previously head of DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), where he set out to cut $2 trillion in government spending.

"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. The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government," Musk wrote in a post to X announcing his exit from the Trump administration on May 28.

Why Did Elon Musk Break From Donald Trump?

Elon Musk was under an enormous amount of pressure during his time with Trump.

During his time with DOGE, Musk's decisions were met with much public criticism due to the massive layoffs of various government employees.

The backlash eventually led to his business, Tesla, being affected negatively, with stocks for the company plummeting.

"What they’re trying to do is put massive pressure on me, and Tesla I guess, to ... stop doing this. My Tesla stock and the stock of everyone who holds Tesla has gone, went roughly in half. I mean, it’s a big deal," Musk said during a town hall event, according to NBC.

NBC reports shares for Tesla are down more than 34 percent year to date. Additionally, Tesla's stock now sits at nearly half of its peak from December.

Musk has also been met with protestors at his dealerships, where people have vandalized vehicles.

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It's also unclear where Musk and Trump stand today personally.

While Musk openly campaigned for Trump during the 2024 election cycle, there appears to be some tension between them these day.

Musk recently spoke out against Trump's big, beautiful bill.

During an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Musk declared that he was "disappointed" by the bill.

"I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing," Musk shared, according to CBS.

Trump had previously championed the bill, potentially sparking tension between him and Musk. The bill aims to continue Trump's 2017 tax cuts as well as boost border security spending, impose work requirements on Medicaid and roll back clean energy tax credits.

"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," Musk added.

Trump has since defended the bill, but also noted its shortcomings.

"I’m not happy about certain aspects of it, but I’m thrilled by other aspects of it," Trump said in the Oval Office on May 28, according to the Associated Press.

The president also hinted that changes to the bill could be coming.

"We’re going to see what happens. It’s got a way to go," Trump added.

As the measure continues to advance through congress, it has recently passed the house,

Despite Musk taking a step back from the White House, the CEO will keep a small office in the building where he will continue to serve as an unofficial advisor.