No, Elon Isn’t Leaving Government Because He Is Upset

Yesterday, I wrote about the fact that Elon Musk is frustrated by the “Big Beautiful Bill,” and he clearly is. 

But as soon as I wrote that, Elon announced that his time as a special government employee was coming to an end, and the media started writing these stupid “Elon Musk” is leaving DOGE because he thinks it failed stories, implying that he has soured on Trump and MAGA. 

The first can be true without the second being so, and this growing narrative that Elon and Trump’s bromance has ended is just another attempt to drive a wedge between the most powerful man in the world and the richest. 

🚨 ELON MUSK: “I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, which increases the budget deficit, not just decrease it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing. I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don’t know if it could be both.” pic.twitter.com/kiawREP5mp

— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) May 28, 2025

I think that it is true that Elon is frustrated by how politics works and deeply disappointed that Congress seems incapable of making even modest reforms in government spending. Some people in MAGA are trying to find a way to spin Elon’s comments about the Big Beautiful Bill, but it requires a vast capacity to endure cognitive dissonance to not see how disappointing Congress has been so far. 

For someone like Elon, whose modus operandi is to move fast, break things, and come up with better solutions, Congress’s approach of moving slowly, breaking things, and lighting a bonfire of dollars has got to be frustrating. 

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.

The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 29, 2025

Even though all this is true, the narrative that Elon and The Donald are disappointed with each other is, I think, totally wrong. 

First and foremost, Elon isn’t quitting in a huff. He is leaving government service because he is required to do so by law. He was hired as a “Special Government Employee,” a legal category, and is subject to a statutorily set timeline: he must be out of the government for at least 130 days out of any 365-day period. He was never going to remain in that position for any longer than he has. 

Amazing and historic stint in public service. We may never see the likes of this again. https://t.co/MOdAfoiTiV

— Sharyl Attkisson 🕵️‍♂️💼🥋 (@SharylAttkisson) May 29, 2025

So Elon is not quitting in a huff. He is leaving as he always planned. DOGE itself will continue, and Elon will remain informally involved as an advisor. A frustration with the government process does not equate to abandoning the mission. 

🚨 Elon Musk reveals that he and his team are trying to futureproof DOGE as much as possible for if Democrats take back power.

This is why you must CODIFY THE CUTS.

“The waste and fraud [could] come roaring back…We’re trying to have it be such that the funding is removed, so… pic.twitter.com/B0jcTBQeNc

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 27, 2025

Second, Elon is still committed to Trump, even though he sometimes disagrees with him and is willing to say so. He has disagreed with Trump on tariffs and some aspects of Trump’s immigration policies, and those disagreements have not hindered his affection for Trump and MAGA. Nor has Trump done with Elon what he usually does with anybody who criticizes him: toss him over the side. 

🚨 BREAKING: Trump responds to @ElonMusk criticizing the Big Beautiful Bill for not enough spending cuts.

“We WILL be negotiating that bill. I’m not happy about certain aspects of it, but I’m thrilled by other aspects of it.”

“The biggest thing is the level of tax cutting we… pic.twitter.com/l2qXgJhaD8

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 28, 2025

Trump’s relationship with Elon Musk seems to be unique–almost as if he sees Elon Musk as a brilliant man who is his equal, and somebody he can rely on not because he is totally loyal to Trump and his agenda–a subordinate–but because he can be a totally reliable partner who brings things to the table that Trump cannot. 

It looks to me like Trump has found in Elon something he hasn’t in almost anything else–a friend and equal. Far from making sure he outshines Elon at every opportunity, Trump has promoted him and even handed the microphone to him many times in the Oval Office itself. 

Elon’s time and energy will return to building rockets, making the internet and communications available to every corner of the globe, keeping Tesla one of the most profitable companies in the world, and getting human beings to Mars. Those are, after all, his day jobs and remained so during his DOGE service. 

But his relationship with Trump has not ended. I think you will see that his influence will not diminish because his leadership of DOGE was never the cornerstone of his relationship with Trump–in fact, Trump gave Elon DOGE because he likes and respects Elon, not the other way around. 

So forget the media narrative that Trump and Elon have split, at least until you see Trump insulting Elon as he inevitably does with people who have betrayed him. I think you will see that their relationship remains as strong as ever.