One Big Beautiful Walk Out: Elon Musk Exits Trump’s White House in Protest of ‘Wasteful Spending’

Elon Musk has decided to resign from his post in President Donald Trump's administration, where he served as head of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In his farewell statement, Musk thanked the President for the opportunity to cut the government's "wasteful spending.”

However, Reuters reports that the exact circumstances of his departure remain unclear.

On April 21, The Washington Post reported that Musk wanted to end his role in the U.S. government due to constant attacks from political opponents, particularly from left-wing forces. It was also revealed at the time that his status as a special government employee was set to expire on May 30, and it was unclear whether it would be extended.

Speculation about Musk's possible departure intensified after he criticized Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill,” a sweeping spending proposal introduced by the President himself. Musk stated that the bill undermines DOGE's mission.

The bill, a cornerstone of Trump's new term, had been the subject of intense debate for weeks, including within the Republican Party. On May 22, after overnight deliberations, the House of Representatives passed the bill. It now awaits Senate review.

According to CBS, the Senate is unlikely to pass the bill in its current form, meaning its final approval may be delayed indefinitely.

Sources told Reuters that some top White House officials, including Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, were "especially irritated” by Musk's comments, as they had to rally Republican senators to reaffirm Trump's support for the package.

According to Reuters sources, Musk's departure was "swift and unceremonious,” and the decision was made "at the senior staff level.”

There was no formal conversation between Musk and Trump before the announcement, and the President has not commented publicly on Musk's exit from the White House.

Musk's Legacy and What's Next for DOGE

Musk's time in the Trump administration was marked by controversy from the start. At the inauguration, he made a gesture resembling the Roman salute used by Italian fascists, sparking a scandal.

As for his work in office, Musk began auditing federal spending immediately after the inauguration. He claimed that the department saved more than $160 billion.

Following the new administration's cancellation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and in pursuit of cutting government costs, DOGE led a wave of mass layoffs across the U.S. federal workforce.

One of DOGE's most high-profile actions was the audit and subsequent suspension of USAID — the U.S. Agency for International Development, which manages foreign aid and humanitarian efforts abroad.

According to Musk, DOGE's work will not end with his departure. He expressed hope that the department's mission will "only improve, becoming a way of life for the entire U. S. government.”

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Elon Reeve Musk (born June 28, 1971) is a businessman known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter). Since 2025, he has been a senior advisor to United States president Donald Trump and the de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in the world since 2021; as of May 2025, Forbes estimates his net worth to be US$424.7 billion. He was named Time magazine's Person of the Year in 2021. Born to a wealthy family in Pretoria, South Africa, Musk emigrated in 1989 to Canada. He received bachelor's degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997 before moving to California to pursue business ventures. In 1995, Musk co-founded the software company Zip2. Following its sale in 1999, he co-founded X.com, an online payment company that later merged to form PayPal, which was acquired by eBay in 2002. That year, Musk also became a U.S. citizen