US president Donald Trump has responded to Elon Musk’s announcement that he will significantly scale back his time with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) next month.
Speaking about Musk’s move, Trump explained that it was always anticipated that Musk would eventually prioritise his Tesla business over his government role. “I heard him say that he’ll start easing, which he was always going to do around this time,” Trump said. “And when he goes back to Tesla, that’ll be taken care of.”
Trump further emphasised that while Musk’s government role has been controversial at times, particularly as protests over his involvement with DOGE intensified, Musk’s contributions to innovation should not be overshadowed by political disputes. “These were sick people who thought they were doing something,” Trump said, referring to the critics who have targeted Musk in the past. “He’s a great patriot, and it shouldn’t be that way.”
The president also reiterated his admiration for Musk’s business ventures, calling them groundbreaking. “He makes a great product. It’s a great car. Starlink is great. What he does is good,” Trump added. He also praised Musk’s work in the medical field, calling it “amazing,” and suggested that Musk’s return to Tesla was simply a natural progression of his priorities.
Despite his praise for Musk, Trump made it clear that he understood the need for the billionaire entrepreneur to focus on Tesla, especially in the wake of the company’s financial struggles. “At some point, we have to let him go and do that. And we expected him to be doing it around this time,” Trump concluded.
Musk on Tuesday announced that his time spent running US President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) “will drop significantly” starting in May. The revenue of the Austin, Texas-based EV maker fell to $19.3 billion, down 9 per cent in the January through March period.
