Elon Musk hit out at critics of DOGE before he stepped down from his White House role. The South African fired thousands of government employees across multiple federal agencies as he sought to rid Washington of “waste and fraud”.
Musk had promised to help Donald Trump slash US$2 trillion from the annual federal budget of US$6.8 trillion. He subsequently lowered his sights to US$1 trillion, before telling a cabinet meeting in April that his cost-cutting exercises would lead to savings of just US$150 billion in the next financial year.
His controversial approach was heavily criticised by opponents and led to numerous protests against the tycoon.
The billionaire’s political activities and support for Trump have also seen his Tesla brand sustain serious reputational damage, with sales plummeting and cars vandalised.
Reflecting on his time at the White House, Musk expressed his frustration at all the hostility his involvement with Trump has generated.
“Doge is just becoming the whipping boy for everything,” he told the Washington Post shortly before his latest SpaceX rocket was about to launch earlier this week.
“So, like, something bad would happen anywhere and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do with it.”
His remarks came before Musk announced on Thursday he would leave the Trump administration to spend more time on his business activities.
His role was temporary and his exit is not unexpected, but it comes a day after he criticised the tax cuts in Trump’s new legislation – The One Big Beautiful Bill.
In a post to his X social media account, Musk thanked Trump for the opportunity to help run DOGE.
“The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” he said.
Tesla sales have been hit hard since Musk joined forces with Trump, and have suffered steep drops particularly in Europe.
Sales data for April show the company sold just 7,261 cars in Europe, down 49% year on year, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.
That drop came even as overall battery electric car sales rose 34.1% annually in April.
