The rumor mill went into overdrive on Wednesday, April 2, after a bombshell report surfaced claiming that Elon Musk was stepping down from his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).With Politico and other outlets running with the story that President Donald Trump had supposedly “informed his inner circle” of Musk’s impending departure, the tech billionaire and his allies called the report nothing but bogus clickbait.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wasted no time in shutting down the so-called bombshell scoop.
This “scoop” is garbage.
Elon Musk and President Trump have both *publicly* stated that Elon will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at DOGE is complete. https://t.co/Brppff6SKi
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) April 2, 2025
“This ‘scoop’ is garbage. Elon Musk and President Trump have both publicly stated that Elon will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at DOGE is complete,” she posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Musk himself also chimed in. Taking to X, the tech billionaire dismissed the reports as pure nonsense, branding them as “fake news.”
Yeah, fake news https://t.co/nPhTpZj3Fc
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 2, 2025
Earlier that day, Politico claimed Trump had told Cabinet members and close allies that Musk’s White House stint was ending soon. According to the report, Musk and Trump had recently agreed that it was time for him to step back from government and return full-time to his empire.
Politico went even further, suggesting that some in Trump’s inner circle viewed Musk as more of a liability than an asset, especially after his highly publicized (and failed) attempt to boost a conservative judge in Wisconsin.“Musk’s looming exit comes as some Trump administration insiders and many outside allies have become frustrated with his unpredictability and increasingly view the billionaire as a political liability,” the outlet reported.
It also claimed that the honeymoon between Musk and Trump was officially over, after White House insiders were confident just a month ago that Musk was “here to stay” and that Trump would find a way around the 130-day limit on his temporary government position.