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By Anna Commander
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Billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to social media Wednesday night with a message to thank President Donald Trump for his White House tenure, noting that his "scheduled time" has come "to an end."
Newsweek reached out to Musk through the press team at X (formerly Twitter) via email Wednesday for comment.
Why It Matters
Since his January inauguration, Trump has enacted sweeping cuts across the federal bureaucracy, mainly through executive orders and creating the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
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The task force has been spearheaded by Musk, during which time the SpaceX CEO pushed for DOGE to gain access to the most sensitive and confidential information about American taxpayers, leading to a slew of lawsuits that accused Musk and the Trump administration of violating the law.
Musk has also faced fierce backlash amid his drastic cuts to the budget, including thousands of federal jobs, and the dismantling of entire agencies.
Amid the uproar, Tesla cars and property have been targeted and torched across the United States as protesters demonstrated against Musk's appointment as an unelected official.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that the attacks are "nothing short of domestic terrorism."
What To Know
In a post on X, Musk praised the president saying, "As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending."
Musk continued, "The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government."
The billionaire CEO had previously announced that he was preparing to step down from his role in government by the end of May, noting to Fox News' Bret Baier that his goal was to cut $1 trillion from the federal budget during his stint as a government employee.
In the past week, Musk has been outspoken about key legislative priorities for the president, like energy policy and the "big, beautiful bill" that seeks to fulfill Trump's key campaign promises which recently passed the House of Representatives.
Musk spoke out against the bill in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, saying he was "disappointed" in the measure because it could balloon the federal deficit and "undermines" the work DOGE has done.
"I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful. But I don't know if it could be both, my personal opinion." Musk added.
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What People Are Saying
Speaker Mike Johnson reacted to Musk's comments on the spending bill, writing on X: ".@ElonMusk and the entire @DOGE team have done INCREDIBLE work exposing waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government - from the insanity of USAID's spending to finding over 12 million people on Social Security who were over 120 years old. The House is eager and ready to act on DOGE's findings so we can deliver even more cuts to big government that President Trump wants and the American people demand."
Johnson added, "We will do that in two ways: 1. When the White House sends its rescissions package to the House, we will act quickly by passing legislation to codify the cuts. 2. The House will use the appropriations process to swiftly implement President Trump's 2026 budget."
"In the meantime," Johnson said, "we have been working around the clock as we prepared for those processes. The House made sure to build on DOGE's success within the One Big Beautiful Bill. @StephenM has made an important point about the two efforts: DOGE found savings in discretionary spending (such as funding agencies), while our One Big Beautiful Bill secured over $1.6 trillion in savings in mandatory spending (such as Medicaid). Both are HISTORIC and take HUGE steps toward addressing our debt and deficit."
Republican Representative Pat Harrigan of North Carolina wrote on X Wednesday: "Thank you for your service, @ElonMusk, and for everything you've done to expose waste, defend free speech, and challenge the broken machinery of Washington. DOGE set a new standard for what focused, impactful public service should be. I'll do my part to make sure it leads to real, lasting change."
What Happens Next
Musk will likely pivot back to focusing on Tesla after leaving his post at the White House. The company reportedly missed its first quarter projections by more than 70 percent.
Update 5/28/25 9:29 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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