Trump Privately Telling Cabinet Members That Elon Musk Will Be ‘Stepping Back’ Within Weeks: Report
(Alex Brandon/AP Photo)
Amid concerns Elon Musk might be politically toxic for Republicans — following a series of underwhelming election results for the GOP on Tuesday — President Donald Trump is reportedly telling Cabinet members and close allies that the Tesla chief will soon be “stepping back” from his highly visible role at the White House.
According to Politico, Trump is privately telling members of his inner circle that Musk — who officially serves as a senior advisor to the president, while unofficially overseeing the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — will return to his businesses and take on a lower-profile role. Three unnamed sources described by Politico as Trump insiders told the outlet that Musk’s White House exit is likely to coincide with the 130-day limit he’s allowed to work as a special government employee — a status which exempts him from certain ethics requirements. That limit could be reached in May, or stretched a bit if weekends were not counted.
Trump publicly seemed to lay the groundwork for Musk to step aside during an Oval Office pool spray on Monday.
“I think he’s been amazing, but I also think he’s got a big company to run,” Trump said. “And at some point, he’s going to be going back. He wants to.”
The 130-day limit was also discussed during a Fox News interview on March 27. Anchor Bret Baier asked Musk if he planned to continue his work with DOGE past 130 days.
“I think we’ll have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that timeframe,” Musk said.
Still, some inside the White House believe the notion that Musk will step away entirely is folly. Politico’s Rachel Bade writes:
“One senior administration official said Musk is likely to retain an informal role as an adviser and continue to be an occasional face around the White House grounds. Another cautioned that anyone who thinks Musk is going to disappear entirely from Trump’s orbit is ‘fooling themselves.’”
Read the full Politico report here.
