President Donald Trump and the current head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk, have reportedly butted heads one too many times, and thus, the end of Musk’s reign.
Per Radar Online, things boiled over this month after a controversial meeting, such as Musk’s approach to government affairs — and his controversial business moves — drew strong pushback from the president’s circle.
The Tesla executive, who recently attended a cabinet meeting, was apparently encouraged to cut hundreds of thousands of federal employees and to cut $2 trillion in government spending. However, his war on government waste soon made him a sore point among Trump’s Cabinet members, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Musk’s frequent public criticism on X, formerly Twitter, and his approach to the federal workforce reportedly put key allies in the administration off. Trump had been particularly irritated over Musk having attended a Pentagon briefing on US-China relations, a situation that the former president allegedly viewed as a conflict of interest over Musk’s business interests in China.
The SpaceX CEO publicly tangled up with Trump’s team in February, which made their relationship even worse. Musk showed up to a major conservative event with a black MAGA hat on, carrying a literal chainsaw. While Musk felt emboldened by his actions, many of Trump’s closest allies criticized the stunt as “too extreme” and potentially damaging to Republican prospects in upcoming elections.
GOP senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), for one, was since concerned that public form of Musk is used against Republicans in the midterms. Musk has reportedly become a polarizing figure in his deal-making style and national politics as his level of attention on the national stage has continued to rise.
Musk’s Strained Relationship with Trump
While he praised Musk publicly, inside sources say Trump now thinks less of the billionaire. According to insiders of the former president, Musk’s dropping Tesla stock price and a loss of more than $20 million in a Wisconsin Supreme Court contest have led some of Trump’s aides to view Musk as a “political liability.”
A senior insider shared that Trump has already informed members of his cabinet that Musk will soon step down from his formal role in DOGE, but the billionaire may continue to serve in a less official advisory capacity. Insiders predict that Musk’s special government employee status, which exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest rules, will expire in late spring, signaling a shift in his influence within the White House.
Originally published on Enstarz
