When Elon Musk was appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), there was a lot of uncertainty about what his appointment would bring to the table. As a “special government employee” under President Donald Trump, many were unsure what to make of his unexpected role.
Now, after nearly three months at the helm,
Musk is stepping back. He’s not quitting, but he won’t be running things from up close anymore. Instead, the Tesla chief plans to shift his focus back to his floundering businesses.
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Musk to step back from Doge as Tesla faces sales slump, profit pressure
From caramel Haagen-Dazs runs at Trump’s invitation to blunt admissions that some decisions could’ve been better, Musk gave a behind-the-scenes glimpse into his White House life during a group interview with reporters on Wednesday.
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As his 100-day whirlwind in the Trump administration draws to a close, here’s a look at what went down at Doge.
‘Doge is a way of life’
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Elon Musk reflected on his time in Washington and gave something of a farewell to President Donald Trump’s Cabinet.
“I’m proud of the incredible work by the Doge team. They take a lot of flak,” Musk was quoted by USA Today as saying. “These are people that can easily get a high-paying job in the private sector, and in fact, came from high-paying jobs in the private sector.”
When asked who might take over Doge once he steps back, Musk kept things vague.
“Is Buddha needed for Buddhism?” he replied, before repeating a phrase he’s clearly grown fond of: “Doge is a way of life.”
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Although his physical presence at the White House will now be limited, Musk said he plans to keep his “comically tiny office” on the top floor of the West Wing. According to NBC News, he admitted that he occasionally played video games like Diablo and Path of Exile there on a large monitor connected to his computer.
Musk, known for crashing on couches while travelling, said Trump, whom he called a “good friend”, would sometimes invite him to spend the night in the White House’s Lincoln Bedroom, especially after late returns from trips.
“He’ll actually call late at night and say, ‘Oh, by the way, make sure you get some ice cream from the kitchen,’” Musk added with a laugh. “Don’t tell RFK.”
Musk won’t give up on the $1 trillion goal
Elon Musk’s ambitious goal to slash $1 trillion from federal spending by the next fiscal year remains on the table; however, he admitted that it would be a “long road”.
President Trump has supported Musk’s aggressive cost-cutting agenda, signing executive orders that slashed funding across multiple federal agencies. The Department of Health and Human Services, for example, faces a proposed 30 per cent budget cut, while the
US Agency for International Development (USAID) has seen its programmes dismantled.
While Musk says that Doge has helped the government save over $160 billion, a CBS News analysis revealed that the federal government spent over $200 billion more in the first 100 days of Trump’s term compared to the same period the previous year.
Musk has acknowledged the challenges ahead, stating, “It’s really difficult… It’s sort of, how much pain is, you know, the Cabinet and this Congress willing to take? Because it can be done, but it requires dealing with a lot of complaints.”
‘Not as effective as I would like’
One of Doge’s most controversial moves under Elon Musk’s watch has been the
massive downsizing of the federal workforce through “fork in the road” voluntary buyouts and terminations of positions.
So far, around 20,000 workers—roughly 1 per cent—have been fired, while nearly 80,000 accepted the buyouts, designed to encourage voluntary exits. Doge aides who joined Musk during his recent media interaction said the plan is to eventually reduce the federal workforce by hundreds of thousands.
When asked about what he might’ve done differently, Musk didn’t use the word “regret.”
“I prefer to refer to them as better decisions could have been made with the benefit of hindsight,” he told USA Today. “But of course, hindsight is 2020. In the grand scheme of things, I think we’ve been effective. Not as effective as I’d like — I mean, we could be more effective, but we’ve made progress.”
How Musk plans to manage his Doge role
Although Elon Musk is stepping back from a full-time presence at the White House, he still plans to dedicate “a day or two” each week to the Doge.
“Starting next month, I’ll be allocating far more of my time to Tesla, now that the major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency is done,” Musk said. He added that he plans to keep contributing to Doge “for as long as the President would like me to do so, and as long as it is useful.”
Musk’s role as a “special government employee” has given him the title of senior adviser to the president, allowing him to serve up to 130 calendar days a year.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told the New York Post that even though Musk is pulling back a bit, the work at Doge is far from over.
“The people that are doing this work are here doing good things and paying attention to the details. He’ll be stepping back a little, but he’s certainly not abandoning it. And his people are definitely not,” she said.
With input from agencies
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