Elon Musk seemingly addresses current status of role within Trump administration amid conflict rumors

Elon Musk has responded to the growing speculation about his involvement with Donald Trump’s administration, and it seems he’s stepping away from politics—for now, at least.

Earlier this year, Musk and Trump were reportedly working closely together, especially after Musk was given a role leading the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, nicknamed DOGE. The idea was that Musk would help the administration find ways to cut waste and make government systems run more smoothly. But that arrangement didn’t last long.

Recently, Trump’s Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, confirmed that Musk is no longer playing a direct role. She mentioned that they still speak on the phone, but he’s not showing up in person at the White House like he used to. Wiles emphasized that Musk hasn’t completely walked away from helping, but his physical absence shows he’s stepping back.

Now, Musk himself has spoken out. In a post on his platform X (formerly Twitter), he explained that he’s diving back into his companies full-time. He wrote that he’s spending all his time working at Tesla, X/AI, and preparing for the next big Starship launch with SpaceX. He even mentioned he’s sleeping in factory rooms again, which suggests he’s going all in on his tech businesses and pulling back from any government involvement.

While his decision may seem simple, there may be more behind it. A report from *The Atlantic*, based on anonymous White House insiders, claims that Musk wasn’t very popular within Trump’s circle. One incident that upset many people reportedly happened when he emailed every federal employee asking them to send in a list of five tasks they’d completed that week—or risk being dismissed. This strict, no-nonsense approach didn’t sit well with many in the government.

Some believe Musk’s approach clashed with how things usually work in Washington. Matt Calkins, a longtime government software expert, said Musk tried to bring the fast-paced, risk-taking culture of Silicon Valley into a system that isn’t built to move quickly. In tech startups, breaking things to innovate might work—but in government, it often doesn’t.

In the end, Musk seems to have realized that his time and energy are better spent on his own companies. Whether he returns to politics or not remains to be seen, but for now, he’s made it clear that his priority is back where it started—with rockets, cars, AI, and big ideas.