According to reports, President Donald Trump has indicated to top advisors that DOGE leader Elon Musk could be stepping back from his role in the administration.
As of now, Musk is considered a “special government employee,” which means that his position is not to exceed more than 130 days. By those terms, his employment will end at the end of May. However, it has been rumored that Trump would take measures to extend his employment status.
BREAKING: Pres. Trump has indicated to top advisers that Elon Musk could be taking a step back from his current role in the administration, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.https://t.co/T8h8eg2Ytx
— ABC News (@ABC) April 2, 2025
On Monday, Trump states that Musk will likely need to return to run Tesla at some point, when he was asked about the 130-day time limit.
He said, “Well, I think he’s … amazing. But I also think he’s got a big company to run. And so, at some point he’s going to be going back. He wants to.”
On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed reports from Politico and mainstream media that Musk is being pushed out.
She wrote, “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.”
To which Musk himself responded in agreement with Leavitt’s comments, adding, “Yeah, fake news.”
Yeah, fake news https://t.co/nPhTpZj3Fc
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 2, 2025
So will Musk be stepping back? Yes. However, despite the media making it sound like he is being pushed out, it appears that the president is still quite pleased with Musk and his good work with the Department of Government Efficiency.