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In a May 29 post on X, Musk thanked Trump for the opportunity but called the role an “uphill battle.” He admitted he underestimated how difficult it would be to reduce government spending and jobs. His 130-day term as a Special Government Employee was already set to end on May 30.
Musk told The Washington Post that the federal system was “much worse” than he expected and said he faced resistance at every turn. In a separate interview with CBS, he criticized a recent tax break package passed by House Republicans, warning it could undo much of DOGE’s cost-cutting work.
DOGE, named after the Dogecoin cryptocurrency, claims to have saved taxpayers $175 billion. However, many reports argue the savings are inflated and riddled with errors. The original goal was to cut $2 trillion, later lowered to $150 billion.
According to Reuters, DOGE has cut nearly 12% of the federal workforce—around 260,000 jobs—through layoffs and buyouts.
Musk also admitted in a May 28 Ars Technica interview that he spent “too much time” in politics, possibly affecting Tesla’s performance. After he said he’d reduce his DOGE duties, Tesla stock jumped over 5% in after-hours trading.
A lawsuit by 14 states against Musk and DOGE is moving forward, accusing them of overstepping legal bounds in federal operations.
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