Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, known for his significant yet casual involvement in the Donald Trump administration, could potentially see his time as a “special government employee” come to a close in fewer than 50 days. The Irish Star reported that Musk hinted his government role might end by May 30, 2025.
However, the White House has yet to confirm this specific deadline. There’s a rising chorus of 77 Democratic lawmakers urging the administration to take quicker action. They claim that Elon Musk’s influence has brought about “enormous harm” for the average American worker.
Musk’s contentious period in government service, which he maintains will finish by the end of May, might violate federal rules. As a special government employee, the law restricts him from serving only 130 days within a calendar year.
His detractors argue that his impact has been much more extensive, reaching beyond both that timeframe and his intended scope. With increasing scrutiny and President Trump’s alliances evolving, Musk’s tenure in government could wrap up more abruptly than he or anyone else had anticipated.
Elon Musk, known playfully as the “Head of the Department of Government Efficiency” or DOGE, started with a casual nod to his involvement with digital currencies. But, his role ended up having real-life consequences. He pushed for broad reductions in various government departments, saying it would save a whopping $150 billion by fighting “waste and fraud.” However, some people argue that he was cutting back on important expenditures without looking too closely at what he was doing.
A top House Democrat spoke to Axios and said, “Musk’s reckless destruction of government agencies has led to everything from cancelled food inspections to gutted climate programs.”
Despite these criticisms, Musk stands firm in his belief that he’s made the government more efficient. But, some worry that the AI tools he’s introduced through DOGE might be watching over federal employees in ways that aren’t just private—they might not be legal, either.
Leading the way in this issue is Representative Greg Casar from Texas, a Democrat, who teamed up with others to write a letter asking for Elon Musk to be removed from his government position by May 30.
CORRUPTION: Musk is abusing his position to block investigations into his own corporations⬇️ pic.twitter.com/wVYtsxDqir
— Congressman Greg Casar (@RepCasar) February 12, 2025
The letter they wrote talked about how, “In his short time in government, Elon Musk has done enormous harm to working Americans.” They’re saying that even though there’s a rule that lets special government employees work for only 130 days, Musk might be breaking that rule or at least not following the main idea behind it.
At the same time, not everyone inside the government is happy with Musk either. Some government workers who lost their jobs because of the changes he made have been sharing memes to show their frustration. There are also secret messages from people who work closely with him that say he’s “irritating” and a “dork”. One person said to the Irish Star, “He scribbled ‘Top Secret—Free Speech Protocol’ on a Post-it during a cabinet meeting.” This person thinks that’s more about making a statement than actually running the country.
Though Musk and Trump were once quite close, with Musk often acting as a trusted advisor to the president, their bond might not be as strong anymore. Recently, Donald Trump reportedly said to some of his financial supporters, “I don’t need Elon.”
Seems like Elon is on his way out.
Trump: “I don’t need Elon for anything other than I happen to like him … I don’t need his car. I actually bought one.”
— Mario 🇺🇸🇵🇱🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@PawlowskiMario) April 10, 2025
Within the president’s circle of friends, opinions about Musk are split. Some of them think that because he tends to act in surprising ways and his very public arguments with others, including calling one of Trump’s most important advisors “dumber than a sack of bricks,” Musk might not be helping the president as much as they’d like.
JD Vance believes that even if Musk isn’t directly working with the president anymore, he could still have a role in giving advice. Vance spoke to Fox News and said, “He’s stepping back, not stepping away.” However, if Musk keeps trying to have a say in big decisions, there could be legal issues because of the rules about his role.
If Musk does leave the White House, he won’t be able to affect policy anymore directly. But his companies, like Tesla, SpaceX, and X Holdings, will continue to benefit from government deals and their ability to influence decisions. More symbolically, his leaving would show that even rich and powerful people like Musk have limits to what they can do in Washington.
We’ll have to wait and see if Elon Musk decides to leave on his own or if he’s pushed out.
