Elon Musk has officially left Washington — and he did it with one final tweet that managed to be both polite and pointed.
The billionaire’s public goodbye comes after a turbulent 130-day stint as Trump’s government efficiency czar.
But behind the appreciation and gratitude, it appears that Musk’s faith in Trump’s vision may be cracking, especially after the president’s latest spending bill.
Musk Blasts “Big, Beautiful Bill” and Its Ballooning DeficitJust days before stepping down, Musk went on the record slamming Trump’s new “One Big Beautiful Bill,” highlighting it as a detriment to the work he carried out at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly,” Musk said in a CBS interview. “It increases the budget deficit and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing. I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful. But I don’t know if it can be both.”
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill could add as much as $3.8 trillion to the deficit.
Musk, meanwhile, has claimed DOGE saved the government $160 billion by eliminating 11 agencies and slashing around 250,000 federal jobs — though critics say those numbers fell short of his original $2 trillion goal.
Trump, when asked about Musk’s comments, didn’t bite. He avoided any direct criticism of his former ally, choosing instead to reframe the legislation as a success.
“It’s very big. The big, beautiful bill, but the beautiful is because of all the things we have,” he told reporters.
Sudden Exit, No GoodbyeDespite their formerly cozy relationship — complete with Tesla photo ops at the White House and rides on Air Force One — Musk left his post without a formal sendoff - just a tweet.
“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” Musk posted to his platform X.
“The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
The White House confirmed his off-boarding had begun and that it was decided “at a senior staff level,” according to The Guardian.
Musk, once dubbed Trump’s “first buddy,” had brought his son to the Oval Office and appeared at Cabinet meetings and press events. But tensions had been rising for weeks.
He clashed with top officials, publicly called trade adviser Peter Navarro a “moron,” and fumed over a deal between Abu Dhabi and OpenAI that didn’t include his company.
From MAGA to MarsMusk’s time in politics didn’t just end quietly, it came at a cost. Tesla’s stock slipped. Protests erupted. Lawsuits piled up. Even a judicial candidate he supported lost a key race, despite a $25 million push from Musk’s PAC.
“I think I probably did spend a bit too much time on politics,” he admitted to Ars Technica. He also told The Washington Post that DOGE had become a “whipping boy” blamed for every White House misfire.
Now, Musk says he’s stepping back from political spending altogether. “I think I’ve done enough,” he said at a forum in Qatar.
Though he had pledged $100 million to Trump-aligned groups for the 2026 midterms, the money hasn’t materialized, according to The New York Times.
The “One Big Beautiful Bill” includes $5 trillion in tax cuts, repeals Biden’s clean energy credits, and introduces sweeping Medicaid reforms, including new work requirements and more frequent eligibility checks.
It also lifts the debt ceiling by $4 trillion and expands deportation powers—provisions that Republicans narrowly passed in the House.
“Remember, we have zero Democrat votes because they are bad people,” Trump told reporters. “If I were a Democrat, I would be voting for this bill, and I would get elected to any position I want as a Democrat. They are crazy.”
Despite the partisan fire, Trump acknowledged the bill still needs Senate support: “We need a certain amount of support in the Senate.”
He ended with a confident prediction: “It will be very successful.”