Donald Trump has weighed in on Elon Musk’s exit as his tenure as a ‘special government employee’ comes to an end.
On April 2, reports surfaced that Trump had privately discussed Musk “stepping back” from his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). According to Politico, three insiders claimed that while Trump was pleased with Musk’s contributions, both men had recently agreed it was time for him to move on.
There had been some confusion over Musk’s official role, with the White House previously referring to him as a “senior advisor” while others described him as a “special government employee” (SGE). However, officials quickly dismissed speculation about his departure, clarifying that SGE appointments are limited to 130 days—meaning Musk’s term is simply expiring. He is expected to leave his position by May 30.
Trump addressed the matter aboard Air Force One, telling reporters: “I want Elon to stay as long as possible.” He went on to praise Musk, summing up his admiration in three points: “Number one: I like him. Number two: He’s doing a great job. Number three: He is a patriot.”
While reiterating there’s “no rush” for Musk to leave, Trump acknowledged that the billionaire has several companies to focus on—particularly as Tesla faces potential impacts from Trump’s proposed tariffs.
Musk is set to leave his DOGE position by the end of May (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Trump unveiled a 25 percent tariff on imports of ‘automobiles and certain automobile parts’.
A White House fact sheet states the proclamation as ‘addressing a critical threat to US national security’ with Trump ‘taking action to protect America’s automobile industry, which is vital to national security and has been undermined by excessive imports threatening America’s domestic industrial base and supply chains’.
However, Tesla wrote a letter to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that some of its vehicle parts are ‘difficult or impossible’ to source locally, and as at least 20 to 25 per cent of Tesla parts are imported from other countries, as per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it could become costly to make the cars.
Musk wrote in a post to Twitter: “Important to note that Tesla is NOT unscathed here. The tariff impact on Tesla is still significant.”
And whether that’s it for Musk’s political career? Well, Trump resolved he ‘would’ appoint the ‘great’ SpaceX founder in a different role in the future.
