Oop! Elon Musk is shutting down reports claiming President Donald Trump “told his inner circle” that he is stepping down as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), calling it “fake news.”
On Wednesday (April 2), a story published by Rachael Bade, POLITICO’s Capitol Bureau Chief & Senior Washington Correspondent, went viral. Bade titled the article, ‘Trump Tells Inner Circle That Musk Will Leave Soon.’ She also tweeted a bulleted summary of the article and said:
“President Trump has told his inner circle & members of his Cabinet that Elon Musk will be stepping back in the coming weeks from his current role. Trump remains pleased w/ Musk & DOGE, but both men have decided in recent days that it will soon be time for Musk to return to his businesses and take on a supporting role. Musk’s looming exit comes as some Trump administration insiders & many outside allies have become frustrated with his unpredictability & view the billionaire as a political liability, a dynamic that was thrown into stark relief Tuesday when a conservative judge Musk vocally supported lost his bid for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat by 10 points.”
Bade’s post continued:
“OF NOTE: Senior administration official said Musk is likely to retain an informal role as an adviser & 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.”
BUT BUT BUT… The news represents a shift in the Trump-Musk relationship from a month ago, when White House officials &allies were predicting Musk was “here to stay” and that Trump would find a way to blow past the 130-day time limit.
ON TIMING: POTUS has indicated that the transition is likely to correspond to the end of Musk’s time as a “special government employee,” a special status that temporarily exempts him from some ethics and conflict-of-interest rules. That 130-day period is expected to expire in late May or early June.
WHY NOW? Musk’s defenders believe that the time is right for a transition, given their view that there’s only so much more he can cut from government agencies without shaving too close to the bone.
But many others say, he’s an unpredictable, unmanageable force who has had issues communicating his plans with Cabinet secretaries and through the White House chain of command led by Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, frequently sending them into a frenzy with unexpected and off-message comments on X, his social-media platform — including sharing unvetted and uncoordinated plans to gut federal agencies.
I’LL BE REFLOWING THE STORY WITH MORE DEETS SOON.”
RELATED: Tesla Sales Plummet 13% In First Quarter, Marking Largest Decline Ever Amid Elon Musk Backlash
Elon Musk And White House Press Secretary Shut Down Claims That Donald Trump Told ‘Inner Circle’ Musk Is Stepping Down From DOGE
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt retweeted Bade’s post about Elon Musk and Donald Trump and replied, “This ‘scoop’ is garbage. Elon Musk and President Trump have both *publicly* stated that Elon will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at DOGE is complete.” Elon retweeted Leavitt’s post and simply stated, “Yeah, fake news.”
Meanwhile, a social user reposted a December 2, 2024 tweet from Musk that retweeted former co-head of DOGE, Vivek Ramaswamy. The latter tweeted, “Most government projects should come with a clear expiry date. That’s why we set one for DOGE: July 4, 2026.” Musk replied, “The final step of DOGE is to delete itself.”
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