Dem
47
GOP
53
Yesterday, Elon Musk took to HIS social media site (which is also truth-free, by the way) and announced that he has reached the statutory limit for service as a Special Government Employee, and that he would be departing the Trump administration immediately.
Elon Musk is a very dishonest man. Donald Trump is a very dishonest man. So, it's certainly possible this is something they've cooked up so that Musk can ignore the rules without people asking too many questions. However, our gut feel is: We doubt it.
To start, it is clear that Trump is getting a little weary of sharing the spotlight with Musk. The President very much enjoyed having Musk's money. He somewhat enjoyed having someone who could act as a hatchet man. However, Trump does not particularly love the juxtaposition of "actual successful businessman" and "just claims to be a successful businessman." He also doesn't love getting blowback for the high-profile missteps of DOGE. And he really dislikes sharing the spotlight.
More importantly, if Musk WANTED to stay, Trump might have a hard time pushing him out. But we think Musk wants to go. Part of it is that he wants to return to his business empire to see if he can fix what ails it. Part of it is that he's clearly disenchanted with government work. And part of it is that he feels unappreciated, which has created cracks in his relationship with Trump. This weekend, Musk sat for an interview that will air, in full, in a couple of days. And he took some shots at Trump's budget bill, saying that the massive outlay runs entirely contrary to what DOGE was/is doing.
And finally, while this is trivial, it's also an important part of the dynamic. If Musk really wanted to skirt the rules, and to keep working quietly behind the scenes, he could probably pull that off for a while. But that is not what Musk wants to do. He wants attention, and lots of it, all the time. He can't have it, unless he does things that make it clear he's violating the laws governing Special Government Employees. The South African will undoubtedly still have Trump's cell phone number, and will probably pop in on the administration in person from time to time, but we really think his leadership of DOGE is over. (Z)