Elon Musk’s tenure as an advisor to President Donald Trump and overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, could end soon due to rising criticism from the political left, the Washington Post reported.
Trump appointed the Tesla CEO at the start of his second administration and has since become the face of DOGE, leading the White House’s effort to make cuts across several government departments and agencies.
But at the start of his time at DOGE, Musk had a 130-day limit in working as a “special government employee” until the end of May, Politico reported in early April.
But on Monday, the Post reported that Musk anticipates leaving his role.
“The billionaire is ready to exit because he is tired of fielding what he views as a slew of nasty and unethical attacks from the political left, according to a person familiar with his thinking,” the Post wrote.
By leaving DOGE, Musk believes his departure will not “diminish the [department’s] power or work,” the report stated.
Protests in the wake of Trump’s second inauguration have drawn attention to DOGE’s cuts under Musk, with some supporters of the president taking to social media to express outrage towards Musk.
Additionally, fires and acts of vandalism across the country at Tesla centers, including in Massachusetts, have been reported.
Musk himself has taken to his platform, X, to go after his critics on the left, including Twitch streamer Hasan Piker.
On Monday, pollster and analyst Nate Silver reported on his Substack that Musk’s unfavorability was at 53%, while almost 40% of Americans favor him. His net favorability has remained steady since late March, possibly “because he’s scaled back the public-facing part of his role in the Trump administration as he prepares to exit government later this year,” Silver wrote.
In March, DOGE announced over 250,000 federal job cuts, the highest single-month total since 2009, Benzinga reported.