Elon Musk’s Political Exit: More Smoke Than Fire?

In recent months, President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk appeared to be closely allied. Musk supported Trump during his reelection campaign, spent nights at the White House, participated in important dinners at Mar-a-Lago, and made bold moves within the government through DOGE with firings and spending cuts.

However, Musk recently announced a shift in his position, stating on May 28th that he will officially step back from DOGE as his term as a Special Government Employee concludes. In the lead-up to this announcement, Musk engaged in several interviews, attempting to convey that he is disengaging from politics.

“I think I probably dedicated too much time to politics,” Musk mentioned during an interview with Ars Technica. “My focus on government was likely excessive, and I’ve scaled that back considerably in recent weeks.” While there are reasons to be skeptical about his claims of withdrawing from politics, he may have genuine motivations for saying so.

Musk’s role as a special government employee had a legal limit of 130 days, which was nearing its end in May. Known for bending the rules, it was uncertain whether he would adhere to this timeline. As the cutoff approached, it became evident that Musk’s influence was waning in Washington, evidenced by reported conflicts with members of the Trump administration, including a heated argument with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Tensions grew between Trump and Musk following the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which Musk criticized as a substantial spending initiative that would not only increase the budget deficit but also undermine the work of the DOGE team during an interview with CBS. Furthermore, Trump approved OpenAI’s strategy to establish data centers in Saudi Arabia, despite Musk’s efforts to derail the deal over the exclusion of xAI, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

Recently, the White House dismissed speculation regarding Musk’s imminent exit from DOGE. “Both Elon Musk and President Trump have indicated that Elon will conclude his role in public service once his significant accomplishments with DOGE