Although it seems like Elon Musk has been working for the government forever, he’s only about halfway through his original 130-day mandate. But it wasn’t exactly clear if the billionaire and Tesla CEO was actually going to back down from his core role at the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) once that mandate was over. It has now been confirmed. Musk will be gone by the end of May, sources say.
Musk’s Investors Would Like Him To Focus On His Companies
The news was first released by Politico. President Trump apparently told members of his cabinet and inner circle that Musk is indeed leaving his role as “special government employee” at the end of his original mandate. Our source, who got this information from three Trump insiders who preferred hiding in anonymity, explains that Musk’s controversial behavior surrounding his handling of the U.S. economy and political interference in other countries, such as Canada and Germany, as well as within the United States, like in Wisconsin, is beginning to frustrate some of Trump’s allies.
To be clear, it was always said from the start that Elon Musk wasn’t going to stay in this position forever. Although Donald Trump repeated Musk was “here to stay”, he also made it a core statement that the billionaire would finish doing what he was tasked to do, which is to cut $1 trillion from government spending. In late March, Musk told Bret Baier of Fox News that he was confident that DOGE would have achieved that target by the end of the expected timeframe.
The core issue is how Musk’s actions have defined the Trump administration’s handling of the economy. For now, American taxpayers still haven’t seen the color of the DOGE cuts. Yet, over 50,000 government employees have abruptly lost their jobs without logical explanation. Some of those jobs were linked to important research, such as Ebola and cancer prevention programs. And there’s even evidence that Elon has been protecting positions that work in the best interest of his businesses. It’s all highly unpopular. There’s also the issue that Musk’s investors would like to see him focusing more on his companies, Tesla, notably, which has also been severely hit by the political fallout of the Trump-Musk duo.
Tesla Needs A Break From Political Elon
Tesla needs Elon back, sure, but Tesla also needs a break from Elon’s political shenanigans. And not just the company, which is facing slowing sales and downward shares, but the owners and employees as well. While the automaker did promise it would release its Cybercab Robotaxi by next year, introduce a truly affordable model that could end up being nothing more than a stripped-out Model Y, and finally show us the second-generation Roadster, the reality is that Tesla currently has the oldest lineup in the entire automotive industry.
Only time will tell if Musk’s work at DOGE will truly make a difference in the U.S. economy and, more importantly, in the pockets of American taxpayers. For now, at least, I think it’s fair to say that his proximity to President Trump is creating a toxic atmosphere, even inside Trump’s most intimate inner circle. Soon, it’ll all be over. But here’s to hoping things won’t escalate to a point of no return before we get to the 130-day end date.
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