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Elon Musk thanked President Donald Trump on Wednesday, saying his time at the White House was coming to an end.
“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 wrote in a post on X. “The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
A White House official confirmed that Musk’s offboarding was beginning.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO previously said he would be stepping back from his government work in May. Musk was designated a “special government employee.” Federal law stipulates that those with this title cannot serve for more than 130 days in a 365-day period.
The tech titan had been closely involved in the White House DOGE office‘s efforts to cut government spending and eliminate fraud and waste.
His comment thanking Trump comes a day after an interview clip aired in which he criticized the president’s spending bill that passed the House of Representatives last week.
Musk said the legislation, which Trump has described as one “big, beautiful bill,” undermines the work of DOGE by adding to the federal deficit.
“I think a vote can be big, or it could be beautiful. I don’t know if it could be both,” he said.
Musk has also recently said he spent “too much time” on politics this year and that he plans to cut back his political spending. The billionaire spent at least $277 million supporting Trump and the GOP in the 2024 election.
Musk said in an X post on Saturday that he was back to “spending 24/7 at work and sleeping in conference/server/factory rooms,” to the relief of Tesla investors.
Tesla’s share price has been on the rise since his announcement in April that he’d be stepping back from his White House work. The company had been targeted by boycotts and protests over its CEO’s work with the White House DOGE office.
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