US President Donald Trump has hinted that his key ally, billionaire Elon Musk, may quit his role as a senior White House adviser leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and will likely to go back to running his several companies full time.
The Republican leader’s remarks come amid increased public concern about the chaos and turmoil caused by DOGE. The department helmed by Elon Musk has faced backlash as people protest against cuts in government agencies, expenditure and termination of federal employees.
“I think he is amazing but I also think he is got a big company to run and so at some point he is going to be going back,” Trump was quoted as saying by Politico. “He wants to. I would keep him as long as I could keep him,” Trump added.
Trump also said that the influence of DOGE would linger because cabinet members and agency heads have “gotten a big education” from the experience. “There will be a point at which the secretaries will be able to do this work,” the 78-year-old said.
In addition to Trump’s remarks, the Tesla CEO Musk also passed a comment in a similar vein last week during an interview with Fox News saying, “I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that time frame.”
Rather than being a government department created by an act of Congress, DOGE is a temporary organisation that took over an existing unit within the White House, the US Digital Service. It is set to expire on July 4, 2026.
Apart from the rising rage over moves made by DOGE and Musk, the once high-flying Tesla appears to be heading for a major turbulence as the sales of its electric cars are declining around the world. The company’s share price declined 36 per cent in the first quarter.
