In a flurry of social media posts, Elon Musk and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt put to bed the unfounded rumors that Musk will be stepping down from his role at DOGE. The controversy started when a Politico journalist claimed to have a “scoop” on Musk’s retirement from DOGE. However, Leavitt slammed the journalist for publishing fake news.
For context, Tesla, the electric car maker founded by Musk, has faced sharp backlash and declining share prices since Elon moved into his role at DOGE. In addition to the trouble facing Tesla, Elon Musk’s status as a Special Government Employee (SGE) expires 130 days after President Trump’s inauguration, which has led to widespread speculation.
In any case, Rachel Bade, who works at Politico, took to X on April 2, 2025, to announce the so-called news. She said, “
SCOOP: Pres Trump has told his inner circle & members of his Cabinet that @elonmusk
will be stepping back in the coming weeks from his current role. 
Trump remains pleased w/ Musk & DOGE, 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.”
Building on that point, Bade alleged that Musk was causing chaos within the Trump administration, She added, “Musk’s looming exit comes as some Trump administration insiders & many outside allies have become frustrated with his unpredictability & view the billionaire as a political liability, a dynamic that was thrown into stark relief Tuesday when a conservative judge Musk vocally supported lost his bid for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat by 10 points.”
Contrary to her previous speculation, the journalist claimed that Musk would stay on as an advisor. Bade wrote, “OF NOTE: Senior administration official said Musk is likely to retain an informal role as an adviser & continue to be an occasional face around the White House grounds. Another cautioned that anyone who thinks Musk is going to disappear entirely from Trump’s orbit is “fooling themselves.'”
Speculating further, Bade contended that this represents a rift between Musk and Trump. She went on to say, “The news represents a shift in the Trump-Musk relationship from a month ago, when White House officials &allies were predicting Musk was “here to stay” and that Trump would find a way to blow past the 130-day time limit.”
Continuing to spin baseless allegations, Bade wondered about the timing of Musk’s release from government. She said, “POTUS has indicated that the transition is likely to correspond to the end of Musk’s time as a “special government employee,” a special status that temporarily exempts him from some ethics and conflict-of-interest rules. That 130-day period is expected to expire in late May or early June.”
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Concluding her post, the journalist speculated on the alleged motivations for Musk’s departure. Bade wondered, “But many others say, he’s an unpredictable, unmanageable force who has had issues communicating his plans with Cabinet secretaries and through the White House chain of command led by Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, frequently sending them into a frenzy with unexpected and off-message comments on X, his social-media platform — including sharing unvetted and uncoordinated plans to gut federal agencies.”
In response to this wild speculation, which was passed off as news, Karoline Leavitte, the White House press secretary, fired back at the unscrupulous journalist. Leavitt replied, “This “scoop” is garbage. 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.”
Musk similarly dismissed the news in a more laconic manner. The genius tech CEO replied, “Yeah, fake news.” When we look at the full picture, it is clear that Musk will not be stepping down from DOGE despite the mainstream media’s lies.
Watch Musk explain how he’s protecting Social Security here: