Headline Roundup • April 3rd, 2025
Is Elon Musk Departing the Trump Admin? Politico Report Sparks Debate
Summary from the AllSides News Team
President Donald Trump has reportedly informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will step back from his role in the administration going into the summer. The White House press secretary called the report “garbage”.
The Details: According to Newsweek (Center bias), Musk’s popularity has “plummeted” over his advisory role in firing federal workers and involvement in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Despite these concerns, the president remains pleased with Musk's work on the DOGE initiative, according to Politico (Lean Left).
Pushback: Musk and Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary, have pushed back on the report, claiming it is “fake news” and saying the administration had been consistently clear that Musk “will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at DOGE is complete.”
How the Media Covered It: Politico originally broke the story, suggesting Musk is increasingly perceived as a political liability and underscoring the recent loss of a conservative judge Musk supported. Fox News (Right) accepted the premise of Leavitt’s tweet, treating Musk’s potential departure as fully expected and not a surprise. CNBC (Lean Left) highlighted Musk’s and Leavitt’s response to the Political report and that President Trump said “I’d keep him as long as I could keep him,” referring to Musk.
Revised by the AllSides staff (of humans) after a first draft from our custom AI. Learn more. Support our mission
Featured Coverage of this Story
Elon Musk will exit his role with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on schedule later this spring, once "his incredible work at DOGE is complete," the White House confirmed Wednesday.
"This ‘scoop’ is garbage," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted to X on Wednesday. "Elon Musk and President Trump have both *publicly* stated that Elon will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at DOGE is complete."
Matt Rourke/AP
President Donald Trump has told his inner circle, including members of his Cabinet, that Elon Musk will be stepping back in the coming weeks from his current role as governing partner, ubiquitous cheerleader and Washington hatchet man.
The president remains pleased with Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency initiative but both men have decided in recent days that it will soon be time for Musk to return to his businesses and take on a supporting role, according to three Trump insiders who were granted anonymity to describe the evolving...
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