Elon Musk, shown at a March 11 White House event with President Trump, said he will step down next month from his role at the Department of Government Efficiency
Elon Musk told investors on Tuesday’s earnings call that, beginning next month, he’ll devote far more of his time to Tesla and “significantly” cut back his involvement with DOGE. He said he still plans to spend a day or two each week on government matters “for as long as the president would like me to do so and as long as it would be useful,” calling his work with DOGE “mostly done.”
Musk—Tesla’s CEO—was already expected to leave his special government-employee post when it expires at the end of May.
He acknowledged that since joining the Trump administration, acts of vandalism and anti-Tesla “blowback” have hurt demand in some markets. In Q1, Tesla posted $19.34 billion in revenue (down 9% year-over-year) and saw earnings per share plunge 71%, with auto revenue falling 20% from the same period last year.
Last month, Musk admitted that Tesla’s stock—off more than 40% so far this year—has been pressured by softer sales, dealership damage and protests of his White House role.
More than 200 demonstrations on March 29 targeted him in a “Tesla takedown,” prompting Attorney General Pam Bondi to warn that vandalism and arson against Tesla vehicles constitute “domestic terrorism.”
Despite the backlash, Musk said he’ll continue supporting President Trump—and even DOGE—to ensure that the waste and fraud he’s helped curb “does not come roaring back.” He also voiced his preference for predictable, lower tariffs and said he’s “hopeful” the president will give his policy advice more weight in the future. In after-hours trading, Tesla shares rose on his remarks.
