Musk to exit government role after rare break with Trump

Billionaire Elon Musk on Wednesday announced he was leaving his role in US government, intended to reduce federal spending, shortly after his first major break with President Donald Trump over his signature spending bill.

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His "off-boarding will begin tonight," a White House official told Reuters late on Wednesday, confirming Musk's departure from government.

"As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President Donald Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending," he wrote on his social media platform X. Musk earlier on Wednesday took to his social media platform X to thank President Donald Trump as his time as a special government employee with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) draws to an end. "The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government," he added. The White House expressed thanks to Elon Musk on Thursday for "his service." "We thank him for his service. We thank him for getting DOGE off of the ground, and the efforts to cut waste, fraud and abuse will continue," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, referring to Musk's Department for Government Efficiency.