In a contentious scuffle on social media, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk demolished rumors that Musk plans to step down from his position at DOGE. Responding to an unfounded claim from a Politico journalist who claimed to have found a “scoop” on Musk’s fictional retirement, Leavitt criticized the mainstream journalist for reporting a fake story
For context, rumors of Musk’s departure have been widely reported as Telsa and other companies owned by the tech genius have faced declining share prices and political backlash. Encouraging the rumors, Elon’s status as a Special Government Employee (SGE) expires 130 days after he assumed the role.
Starting the uproar, Politico Journalist Rachel Bade posted her findings to X on April 2, 2025. In her post, 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.”
Despite her earlier speculation, the reporter claimed that Elon would stay in a role as an advisor to the president. Bade stated, “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 said, “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 explain her theory, the reporter theorized about the timing of Musk’s alleged departure from the 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.”
Concluding her baseless speculation, the journalist discussed the alleged motivations for Musk’s departure. Bade claimed, “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.”
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Annoyed by the baseless allegations, the Whitehouse Press Secretary 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.”
Equally annoyed, Musk took to X to quickly shoot down the rumors. He laconically said, “Yeah, fake news.” Given the full-throated denial from both Musk and Leavitt, it is clear that despite the rumors, Musk is here to stay in government.
Watch Musk talk about his plan to defend Social Security: