WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President said Thursday that would likely leave his administration in 鈥渁 few months,鈥� the clearest sign that his most powerful and disruptive adviser will be wrapping up his work inside the government.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that 鈥淓lon is fantastic鈥� but he has 鈥渁 number of companies to run."
鈥淚 want him to stay as long as possible," he said. "There鈥檚 going to be a point where he鈥檚 going to have to leave.鈥�
Musk has spearheaded the Department of Government Efficiency, which is playing a leading role in downsizing and overhauling the federal government. Trump said that work would continue within various agencies.
The Republican president's comments came after a steady drumbeat of suggestions over the last week that Musk's time was limited. Musk also faced a setback Tuesday in Wisconsin, where for a state Supreme Court candidate despite more than $21 million in personal donations and his campaign appearance over the weekend. There are more problems for the billionaire entrepreneur at Tesla, his electric automaker, which saw in the first three months of the year.
The White House has not disclosed any timeline for closing down DOGE, and the government cost-cutting organization was never supposed to become a permanent fixture in Washington. But it could be reaching a conclusion faster than anticipated. DOGE was originally intended to operate until July 4, 2026.
Now there are signs that it already is winding down. DOGE employees have been shifted to various federal agencies, which are supposed to take the lead on cutting costs. are underway to accomplish some of the goals laid out by Musk and Trump.
鈥淲e think probably over the next two or three months, we鈥檒l be pretty much satisfied with the people that are working hard and want to be members of the administration,鈥� Trump said last week.
The potential end of DOGE does not mean Trump will stop shaking up Washington. But it appears the administration鈥檚 efforts will be entering a new phase that is less focused on Musk, as a presidential adviser made him a political lightning rod.
DOGE was initially envisioned as an independent advisory panel, with Musk sharing leadership with Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur. Ramaswamy and is running for , and DOGE became part of the government. It was stocked with Musk's allies, who were dispatched throughout the bureaucracy to cancel contracts, access sensitive data and push for cuts.
Musk presumably has a ticking clock on his tenure. He was hired as , which means he can only work 130 days in a 365-day time period.
鈥淚 think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that time frame,鈥� Musk told Bret Baier of Fox News on March 27. So far DOGE is well short of that target, according to its own calculations, which have been criticized as inflated and inaccurate.
Musk did not commit to leaving the administration by any particular date, and it is unclear how the administration is tracking Musk鈥檚 time. On May 30, it will be 130 days since Trump鈥檚 inauguration on Jan. 20.
Trump told reporters on Monday in the Oval Office that 鈥淚鈥檇 keep him as long as I could keep him鈥� and 鈥渉e鈥檚 a very talented guy.鈥�
The Republican president was known for explosive breakups with top advisers during his first term, but anyone hoping for such a split with Musk has been disappointed.
鈥淚 want Elon to stay as long as possible," Trump said Thursday. 鈥淣umber one, I like him, number two, he鈥檚 doing a great job. Number three, he is a patriot, that鈥檚 why he鈥檚 doing this.鈥�
Once Musk leaves, Trump said "the secretaries will take totally over,鈥� meaning the Senate-confirmed leaders of various agencies, but 鈥淒OGE will stay active鈥�
That was a somewhat different message than Trump had on Monday. At that point, he said Cabinet officials have worked closely with Musk and may keep some of the DOGE people at their agencies.
鈥淏ut at a certain point I think it will end,鈥� Trump said.
Musk's poll numbers lag behind Trump's, which Democrats believe they were able to use to their advantage in Wisconsin.
defeated Brad Schimel, who Musk supported, and ensured the state Supreme Court's liberal majority.
In the closing days of that campaign, Musk described the race as 鈥渋mportant for the future of civilization.鈥� He struck a different tone afterward.
鈥淚 expected to lose, but there is value to losing a piece for a positional gain,鈥� Musk wrote on X at 3:13 a.m.
Chris Megerian, The Associated Press
