Elon Musk Ends Government Role After 129 Turbulent Days

In his short time in office, Musk’s presence roiled not just government operations but also the globe, in the continental United States and beyond.

Severe cuts and public resentment
What Musk wanted to do at Doge was to cut government spending a great deal. The goal originally was to raise $2 trillion and it was lowered to $1 trillion, and then even, it was lowered to $150 billion. So far, some $175 billion has been "saved," Doge said, from cutting asset sales, cancelling grants and lease, eliminating fraudulent payments, rollback on regulations, and cutting federal workforce by 260,000.

Though these numbers have been a source of controversy, Musk conceded that mistakes were going to be made. One such mistake was when aid to an area in Mozambique was accidentally shut off because it was incorrectly identified as Gaza. Musk ceded the blunder and a swift remedy for circumstances like this. The department also faced a furor for trying to gain access to sensitive Treasury systems, which some worried would violate privacy laws.

Public support for cuts in spending is also strong, even though Musk’s own personal rating has declined since he took office.

Business Relationships And Changes In Foreign Policy
Musk being both a tycoon and government leader brought concerns about conflicts of interest. His companies, which include SpaceX, with $22 billion in government contracts in its portfolio with the US government, and Starlink, which is in operation overseas, were singled out. Scenes of Tesla cars on display at the White House made matters only worse.

Musk’s impact, internationally, was perhaps most visible in the form of severe cuts to the US Agency for International Development (USAID). After a six-week review, more than 80% of all of USAID’s programs were slashed, and the rest were subsumed into the State Department. These cuts have been felt across aid projects globally, including food aid in Sudan, education for Afghani refugees and clinics for transgender people in India.

Critics saw this as part of a larger turn toward isolationism and wondered about the future of American power abroad.

Conflict, Division , and Disinformation
Musk’s role in the White House also sparked criticism over misinformation. He spread false claims online, like rumors about missing gold reserves at Fort Knox and unverified allegations of genocide against white Afrikaners in South Africa. These ideas were mentioned even in a diplomatic encounter between President Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, making international relations even more fraught.

Also, Musk’s role exposed internal tensions in the Trump administration. Some members of the cabinet had sparred with him over how Doge’s budget cuts would affect their departments, reportedly. Trump recognized the disagreements, but continued to support Musk’s efforts.

Musk’s exit comes as talk of Trump’s new budget is heating up, including big tax cuts and hikes in defense spending. Musk criticized the plan in a tweet, indicating deeper divisions within the administration over Doge’s cost-saving strategy.