Once hailed as President Trump’s right-hand man, Elon Musk is now facing a serious fall from grace in Washington.
After being appointed as the president’s special adviser, the tech billionaire enjoyed a period of success, but his time in the White House is soon coming to an end.
Musk is currently in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a new federal agency with the objective of streamlining the government to be more efficient and cost-effective.
He rolled out big plans to cut hundreds of thousands of government jobs and reduce federal spending by a whopping $2 trillion.
However, his aggressive reduction of the federal workforce and his frequent controversial posts on X, his social media platform, have caused dissatisfaction among members of the Trump cabinet.
He is seen as a political liability. Foes have highlighted his dismal failure in Wisconsin where he ploughed $20m into doomed Republican candidates in the state’s Supreme Court race. It was widely viewed as a referendum on Musk.
The president himself was reportedly incensed that Musk was given clearance for a Pentagon briefing on China, as he was concerned it represented a potential conflict with the tech mogul’s business dealings.
And in another split, Musk took to X over the weekend to bash Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro over his defense of the president’s tariffs.
Once hailed as President Trump’s right-hand man, Elon Musk is now facing a serious downfall in Washington. Pictured: President Donald Trump and Elon Musk speak before departing the White House on his way to his South Florida home in Mar-a-Lago in Florida on March 14, 2025
Trump is a still a big fan of Musk sources say, but it appears that two are destined to part despite the SpaceX boss’ whopping $288 million campaign donation.
Trump recognized potential difficulties early on, according to the WSJ.
He asked his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, to have weekly meetings with the billionaire ‘first buddy’ after receiving reports of friction among his top staff.
But, Wiles wasn’t the only person Musk clashed with.
He and Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly had it out during a Cabinet meeting – an argument that took place in front of Trump and Wiles.
Many Trump officials – including Wiles – were said to be frustrated that Musk wasn’t sharing his plans before he made public announcements about what his DOGE team was doing to their agencies.
His lack of coordination would throw off the White House message of the day and rollout plans for the administration’s initiatives.
Yet, one of the most shocking moments in Musk’s downfall came when reports emerged that he was scheduled to receive a sensitive Pentagon briefing aimed at covering US war plans and issues related to China.
News of Musk’s involvement reportedly sparked a furious reaction from Trump who was ‘concerned’ as Tesla has a major presence in China.
Trump was ‘not happy’ when he found out Musk would be in on this briefing without telling him first and saw the tech mogul’s involvement as a potential conflict of interest, the WSJ reported.
Trump recognized potential difficulties early on, according to the WSJ. He asked his chief of staff, Susie Wiles (pictured), to have weekly meetings with the billionaire ‘first buddy’ after receiving reports of friction among his top staff
At a major conservative event, Musk made a public spectacle of himself when he walked on stage holding a chainsaw to show how serious he was about cutting government waste. Pictured: Elon Musk wears a Cheesehead hat as he speaks during a town hall in Green Bay, Wisconsin on March 30, 2025
Although Trump publicly dismissed the story as ‘fake news,’ behind closed doors, he was seething, according to sources.
In February, at a major conservative event, Musk made a public spectacle of himself when he walked on stage holding a chainsaw allegedly to show how serious he was about cutting government waste.
While the X owner felt it was a bold move, the jaw-dropping stunt was seen as ‘too extreme’ by many of Trump’s allies.
GOP Senator Lindsey Graham warned that the shocking moment would end up being used against other Republicans in the upcoming elections.
Musk’s increasingly erratic style in the White House earned the him a reputation for being difficult to work with.
Critics say he offers little explanation for his wild ideas or sudden changes of direction.
The Tesla CEO made headlines when he claimed that the US Social Security system had major problems, like listing people who were over 120 years old.
While it seemed like an important issue, Musk exaggerated the claims and Trump even repeated them in a speech without checking the facts first – adding to the confusion surrounding Musk’s role in the White House.
Trump has reportedly informed his Cabinet and inner circle that Musk will be stepping back from his high-profile government role in the coming weeks. Pictured: Elon Musk, joined by his son X, delivers remarks alongside President Donald Trump during an executive order signing in the Oval Office at the White House on February 11, 2025
While Trump continues to say that he likes Musk personally, it’s clear that their professional relationship is in trouble.
Trump has reportedly informed his Cabinet and inner circle that Musk will be stepping back from his high-profile government role in the coming weeks.
‘Musk will soon be returning to the business world,’ Politico reported.
But many don’t expect Musk to entirely disappear.
One aide told Politico that anyone who thinks Musk is going to vanish from Trump’s orbit is ‘fooling themselves.’
The Tesla founder will likely still have regular access to Trump and an open invitation to the Oval Office.
And he’s likely to still hang out a Mar-a-Lago, where he and Trump frequently dine together.
Musk has cemented himself as one of the most powerful figures in the Republican Party, using his vast financial resources to make himself a force to be reckoned with.
Insiders say that Musk has an erratic style of working which is at odds with the work flow in the White House
But Democrats are expected to use him as a boogeyman – as the Republicans did to Nancy Pelosi – in the upcoming midterm election where control of Congress is at stake.
A recent NBC News poll found a majority of voters nationwide (51 percent) hold a negative view of Musk, while 39 percent viewed him positively.
Musk will also have to deal with the fallout of Trump’s decisions when he gets back to the business world.
Tesla will be subject to Trump’s automotive tariffs as its key suppliers are in Mexico and China.
‘Important to note that Tesla is NOT unscathed here,’ Musk wrote on social media last week of the tariffs. ‘The cost impact is not trivial.’
Trump’s 25 percent tariff went into effect on April 2 as part of the president’s broader trade war.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s global vehicle deliveries fell 13 percent in the first quarter from a year ago, in what investors saw a sign of backlash against Musk’s government work.
DailyMail.com has contacted the White House for comment.
