Elon Musk is set to depart the Trump administration and leave his role as a “special government employee,” a White House official told ABC News.
The White House will begin Musk’s off-boarding Wednesday night, the official said.
Musk posted on X Wednesday night thanking President Donald Trump, saying his Department of Government Efficiency team will continue to work throughout the government.
“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. He said the DOGE mission “will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
As a special government employee, Musk was limited to an 130-day appointment — a limit he could hit as early as Friday. May 30 would be 130 days since Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration.
On Thursday, a senior administration official told ABC News that Musk will continue to serve as an unofficial adviser to the president and could potentially attend White House meetings.
While White House officials insist Musk left on good terms with Trump, the president hasn’t said a word about Musk’s departure, especially after his outspoken comments about the president’s agenda and policy.
Senior White House officials were frustrated by Musk’s comments regarding what Trump calls his “big, beautiful bill,” which came a day before Musk announced he would be leaving the administration, sources familiar with the situation told ABC News.
Musk was still working in a governmental role on Wednesday, with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard saying on X that Musk visited the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
“It was great hosting @elonmusk at ODNI to discuss how we can best leverage cutting edge technological tools and public-private partnerships to increase innovation and ensure our nation’s security,” she posted.
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott contributed to this report
While Musk is leaving the White House, he’ll continue as unofficial adviser, official says originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
