Nationwide — Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and head of Tesla, is reportedly set to leave his role in the Trump administration after serving the maximum allowed time as a special government employee, according to NBC News. Musk’s 130-day term, which began on January 20, will come to an end in late May due to federal restrictions on part-time government service. His temporary appointment involved working with the controversial DOGE team, which has pushed for aggressive federal budget cuts.
Trump, speaking to reporters earlier in the week, praised Musk’s involvement, calling him “amazing,” but acknowledged the Tesla CEO would eventually return to his private ventures. “I’d keep him as long as I could,” Trump said, but added that Musk has a “big company to run” and would leave when ready.
In a previous interview on March 10 with Fox Business host Larry Kudlow, Musk was asked if he would continue working in government for another year. At the time, Musk responded affirmatively, saying, “Yeah, I think so.” However, that now appears unlikely given the SGE time limitations.
Musk has been a major supporter of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, providing significant financial backing. His involvement in politics has extended to judicial races as well. On Tuesday night, Brad Schimel — a conservative candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court who received support from both Musk and Trump — lost his election bid.
The news of Musk’s expected exit seemed to positively impact Tesla’s stock, which rose shortly after the initial reports were released.