In the gilded setting of the Oval Office, as President Donald Trump signed yet another executive order aimed at cutting bureaucratic fat from the federal government, his words drifted far beyond the parchment. The cameras rolled, the signatures were made, and then Trump did what he often does when the script runs dry — he pivoted to praise. But this time, his target was not a Cabinet secretary, a foreign ally, or a campaign staffer. It was Elon Musk.
“He’s an incredible… brilliant guy,” Trump said, pausing for emphasis. “He was a tremendous help both in the campaign, and in what he’s done with DOGE.”
DOGE — the Department of Government Efficiency — may sound like satire to the uninitiated, but it has become the emblematic centerpiece of Trump’s second-term ambition to reshape Washington through the lens of corporate innovation. Launched in early 2025, DOGE promises to replace bloated procedures with streamlined systems, enforce AI-based governance models, and reinvent how departments like the IRS and VA operate.
At the heart of this effort has stood Elon Musk, not as a federal employee, but as an informal advisor with a loud voice and a long shadow.
Now, with Musk reportedly preparing to scale back his direct involvement by the end of May, Trump’s effusive praise has struck more than a few political chords. Was this just a fond farewell? Or was it something more calculated — a signal to insiders and observers that Musk, while stepping back officially, might still retain influence over the very machinery he helped design?
Musk’s role in DOGE has always been controversial. On paper, he held no formal authority. In practice, his involvement shaped everything from hiring algorithms to the proposed federal cryptocurrency ledger, and even proposed restructuring of the Department of Education’s tech systems. He brought in advisors, supplied engineers on “loan” from his companies, and even personally signed off on experimental data protocols.
The lines between private innovation and public authority were blurred — and in Trump’s Washington, they were intentionally so.
Wednesday’s sudden flurry of presidential flattery must be read in context. Musk’s empire is under siege. Tesla has reported a 71% decline in quarterly earnings.
A dealership in Kansas City was recently set ablaze, incurring over $200,000 in damages. A top Tesla executive canceled a public appearance in Rome after threats surfaced. Berlin gigafactory protests continue to escalate, drawing environmentalists and labor advocates. The billionaire is under fire — figuratively and, in some cases, literally.
And yet, amid these mounting crises, Trump chose not to distance himself from the embattled entrepreneur. Instead, he wrapped Musk in the presidential flag, framing him as a patriot and victim.
“They took it out on Tesla,” Trump said, referring to what he called unfair scrutiny and political attacks. “And I just thought it was so unfair because he’s trying to help the country, but he has helped the country… He didn’t need to do this. He did it.”
That particular line — “He didn’t need to do this” — has become a kind of mantra among Trump loyalists who see Musk as a reluctant hero dragged into public service by necessity rather than ambition. But critics see something else entirely. “It’s a classic Trump move,” said Dr. Robert McAllister, a political historian at NYU. “Elevate the ally who’s slipping away. Make them indispensable even as they try to exit stage left.”
Indeed, Musk has not formally left DOGE — not yet. According to multiple sources familiar with the situation, he plans to reduce his involvement to just one or two days per week by late May. His official explanation is that he wants to refocus on Tesla, SpaceX, and other private ventures, including a new medical device initiative currently in FDA review.
But even that scaling back has sparked internal power struggles within DOGE and beyond. Cabinet secretaries, especially at Commerce and Energy, have reportedly begun reasserting their traditional roles in response to Musk’s impending withdrawal.
The question then is not just whether Musk is stepping away — but whether he’s truly giving up control.
For those within Trump’s orbit, the message is clear: Musk is still Trump’s guy. He may not attend every DOGE briefing, and he may not chair every tech subcommittee, but his ideas, allies, and vision remain embedded. His footprint is in the code, the workflow, and the strategy. His departure, if it comes, may be more symbolic than structural.
In that sense, the dynamic between Trump and Musk is less about friendship and more about function. Musk provides the tech genius, the credibility with innovation circles, and the kind of “outsider” cachet Trump craves. Trump, in turn, provides Musk with proximity to power, a platform to reshape policy, and — crucially — political cover.
But that arrangement also raises ethical and strategic questions. Can a non-governmental actor, even one as celebrated as Musk, maintain behind-the-scenes control over a federal agency without triggering conflicts of interest or transparency violations?
Watchdog groups have already begun raising alarms, noting that Musk’s influence over DOGE was never subject to oversight, FOIA requests, or congressional review. “He operated like a shadow secretary,” said one member of the Government Accountability Office. “And now he might become an even darker shadow.”
Public perception of DOGE, meanwhile, remains mixed. A recent Fox News poll revealed that 49% of Americans believe DOGE will make the government more efficient. But 52% — a majority — say they still do not view the Trump administration as competent in its federal management. That disconnect has haunted Trump’s technocratic efforts since his first term: big promises, erratic execution.
Whether Musk’s soft exit will deepen that perception remains to be seen. But what is clear is that the narrative is already being shaped. Trump wants Musk to be seen not as a vanishing partner, but as an enduring visionary — a patriot who may step back physically, but never truly leave the cause.
That narrative suits Musk too. Even as he returns his focus to rockets, robots, and revenue, he maintains the allure of someone who could return at any moment to reboot Washington’s operating system.
In politics, perception often trumps reality. And the perception now is that Elon Musk, whether officially tied to DOGE or not, remains very much a part of its DNA — whispering into the system, redesigning it from afar, and perhaps waiting for the next moment to step forward again.
So as the month of May draws closer and his scheduled scale-back becomes reality, the real story may not be about what Musk is leaving — but what he’s continuing to run without needing to stay in the room.
