Trump’s team hurried to calm the worried Musk, so that the president could announce the deal while he was in the Middle East, reported WSJ. Musk went with Trump to the Middle East, but the latter rarely mentioned his name publicly. Not only that, but Musk was once seen in Abu Dhabi waiting in line to shake the hand of the Republican president of the USA.
The much-discussed mandate of Elon Musk in Donald Trump’s administration now belongs to the past. The billionaire Tesla CEO, whom Trump entrusted with the famous task to lead efforts to reduce and restructure federal bureaucracy, confirmed yesterday through his platform ‘X’ his departure from the government, after previously criticizing the American president for handling the matter. “As my planned mandate as a special government employee is ending, I want to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity,” Musk wrote on the platform “X”.
“The mission of @DOGE will strengthen over time, as it evolves into a lifestyle for public administration.” Although a senior White House official had earlier emphasized that Musk is a friend of Trump, the White House made no official comment regarding the departure of the president’s advisor after 130 days in office.
MUSK’S CRITICISM OF TRUMP’S “BIG SPENDING BILL”
Musk’s official departure came at a tense moment in his relationship with Trump. On Tuesday, the billionaire, speaking on CBS, harshly criticized Trump’s “big spending bill,” which includes tax cuts and tightening immigration policy, describing it as a “massive spending package” that increases the federal deficit and “undermines” the work of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which he led aiming to reduce federal spending by cutting the federal workforce, trimming government programs, and eliminating grants.
TRUMP’S RESPONSE
Trump responded to Musk’s criticisms Wednesday afternoon in the Oval Office, defending his bill. He said it would fulfill some of his top priorities but also noted the complexities of passing such a comprehensive bill through a deeply divided House. And avoiding mentioning Musk by name, he said: “My reaction is about many things. First, we need to secure many votes. We cannot make cuts — you know — we need to get a lot of support and we have a lot of support. We had to get it through the House of Representatives.”
FROM “LOVE” TO DIVORCE
Musk was one of the most prominent people in Trump’s circle in the early days of his second term, securing the favor of the Republican president after pushing his 2024 reelection campaign with over 250 million dollars. He often appeared alongside Trump, often wearing a Trump-branded hat and sometimes with one of his small children. Musk seemed to enjoy his role, appearing on stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February with a chainsaw to promote his cost-cutting initiative.
That same month, he said: “The more I get to know President Trump, the more I like him. Honestly, I love him.” And once called him “a truly great American.” Musk also at one point threatened to use his wealth to fund Republican candidates who dared oppose Trump’s agenda. But behind the scenes, tensions were escalating between Musk and other members of the Trump administration, with incidents of heated discussions leaking into the news.
CLASHES WITH MINISTERS
Musk clashed with three of Trump’s prominent cabinet members: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Besant. He called Trump’s trade advisor, Peter Navarro, an “idiot” and “dumber than a sack of bricks,” while also publicizing some of his complaints, including criticisms of Trump’s tariffs. Meanwhile, Musk’s and Tesla’s public image have taken a hit, with polls showing how unpopular he and DOGE were, while Tesla vehicles and dealerships have become targets of protests and vandalism, and its stocks have fallen 11% so far this year.
MUSK’S HASTY TRIP TO THE MIDDLE EAST
Another episode in the relationship between the two former friends recently occurred when, according to the Wall Street Journal, Musk hurried to the Middle East during Donald Trump’s tour there to block a major US cooperation deal with the United Arab Emirates in artificial intelligence, which the Republican president supported if it did not include him. This explains the sudden appearance of the tech billionaire at a Trump meeting with Saudi Arabian officials.
Trump was ready to announce a major foreign AI partnership with US-based OpenAI — led by Musk’s sworn rival, Sam Altman — and the UAE company G42 to build a Stargate UAE campus in Abu Dhabi. Musk was determined that his company, xAI, would be part of the deal, sources told the American newspaper. In a call with officials at G42, which is controlled by the brother of the UAE president, Musk reportedly warned that the plan would not win Trump’s approval if xAI was not included.
Musk was also unhappy with a deal benefiting Altman, with whom he co-founded OpenAI in 2015 only to leave it three years later after a power struggle. Trump’s team hurried to calm the worried Musk so the president could announce the deal while he was in the Middle East, WSJ reported. Musk went with Trump to the Middle East, but the latter rarely mentioned his name publicly. Not only that, but Musk was once seen in Abu Dhabi waiting in line to shake the hand of the Republican president of the USA.
