"He’s Finished."

In the early months of Donald Trump’s second term, Elon Musk—the world’s richest man, a major Republican donor, and the architect of the new Department of Government Efficiency (known, tellingly, as DOGE)—was a constant presence in Washington. He appeared in the Oval Office and at cabinet meetings, joined the president on trips, fired hundreds of federal employees, gained access to government databases, and dismantled entire agencies—most notably USAID. But by April, he had all but vanished from view.

As Politico reported, mentions of Musk dropped off sharply—even from Trump himself. In February and March, the former president cited Musk an average of four times a week on Truth Social. Since early April: zero. Asked to explain the silence, the White House press office issued a statement without naming Musk: "The DOGE mission to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse continues. Agency staff integrated into the federal bureaucracy remain in active coordination with the Trump administration to improve government efficiency."

Since spring, Musk has gradually disappeared from the Republican media ecosystem. His name, once prominent in Trump campaign emails, is now nearly absent—mentioned just once since March after near-daily references in February. White House social media accounts and senior Trump advisors have stopped sharing photos and posts featuring the billionaire. News outlets that once tracked his every move in Washington now mention him far less frequently.

His own behavior has shifted as well. According to The Washington Post, in February, over half of his posts and reposts on X were about DOGE, politics, or the federal government. Thirteen percent mentioned Trump, while just seven percent focused on business. Today, that ratio has flipped: more than 50% of posts now concern technology and Musk’s companies, while politics and DOGE combined account for less than 20%. Trump appears in just 3% of his content.

Another telling shift: Musk recently announced plans to scale back his political spending. In 2024, he spent more than $290 million supporting the Republican Party, making him its largest individual donor. That level of engagement appears unlikely to continue in 2025.

Officially, Elon Musk’s government tenure was always meant to be temporary: he was appointed as a special government employee, a status capped at 130 working days per year. That term ends on May 30, but Musk began stepping back earlier. In late March, Donald Trump informed cabinet members that the billionaire would soon reduce his involvement in White House affairs and transition to an "advisory role," refocusing on business. By April, Musk himself said he would only travel to Washington twice a month.

The reasons behind this shift were explained by Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at Yale School of Management: "His first 100 days were a failure in delivering on the mission he set out." And that failure, Sonnenfeld added, "has come at a steep price—for both his companies and his reputation."

Before entering government, Musk had promised that DOGE would make the U.S. bureaucracy more tech-savvy and efficient, reducing federal spending from $7 trillion to $5 trillion. The department’s official website claims $170 billion in savings. However, journalists uncovered errors and unverified figures in its reports. Independent estimates suggest the actual savings amount to only a few dozen billion dollars—a modest sum by U.S. budget standards.

Some observers believe that Musk’s cost-cutting campaign may ultimately backfire. The mass layoffs of civil servants initiated under DOGE could trigger expensive lawsuits, unions and rights organizations warn. The repercussions are already being felt in areas such as tax administration—after major staff reductions at the IRS—and in student loan processing and social programs, which were affected by cuts at the Department of Education. One presidential adviser told The Atlantic that the layoffs were carried out "without a coherent plan."

"He came in with idealism and a Silicon Valley mindset—and yes, some interesting things did happen. But does ‘move fast and break things’ work in Washington? Not quite," says Matt Calkins, CEO of Appian, a tech company that has worked with the federal government for over two decades. According to him, Musk’s goal of modernizing government was valid—but the entrepreneur likely underestimated the fundamental differences between running a company and running a state.

During his time in Washington, Musk failed to build lasting alliances within the executive branch. On the contrary, according to The Atlantic, his involvement in the internal workings of various agencies sparked frustration among senior officials. Although Musk reportedly still enjoys Trump’s personal trust, the influence of DOGE has visibly diminished with his retreat. The department will formally remain in operation, but key federal agencies are likely to restrict its authority going forward.

Despite ambitious promises to reform the U.S. government, Elon Musk ends his first foray into political life with significant reputational damage—to both himself and his businesses. Polls show his popularity has plummeted since becoming closely associated with Donald Trump’s administration. Unlike Trump, however, Musk is losing support primarily among Democrats and independents—the very groups that once admired his technological vision and entrepreneurial spirit.

"Few inspire as much contempt as someone perceived as a turncoat," Republican strategist Mike Murphy told The Washington Post, referencing Musk’s former popularity with liberal audiences. "We feel betrayed," echoed Jessica Sisak, a California resident and former Musk supporter who now takes part in protests against him.

Analysts say the political toxicity surrounding Musk was starkly illustrated by the Wisconsin Supreme Court election in early April. Despite a record-breaking donation of over $20 million to the Republican candidate, the race was lost. Commentators described the vote as an unofficial referendum on public trust in Musk and the Trump administration—especially amid growing resentment toward the entrepreneur.

"He’s done. He’s gone. His numbers are catastrophic. People hate him," one senior Republican official told Politico. "He flies into Wisconsin thinking he can buy votes, puts on a cheesehead, acts like a child… It doesn’t work. People find it insulting."

Given how closely Elon Musk has long been identified with his companies, the decline in his personal popularity has inevitably taken a toll on their reputations. This is particularly evident in the case of Tesla: since the beginning of 2025, the company’s stock has been marked by extreme volatility. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, professor at Yale School of Management, described it as having turned into a "meme asset"—its value driven more by investor sentiment than business fundamentals.

The fundamentals themselves are also troubling. In the first quarter of 2025, Tesla’s profits dropped 71% compared to the same period last year. In its earnings report, the company acknowledged that political polarization and the persona of its CEO had impacted sales. Incidents of vandalism targeting Tesla vehicles and showrooms have been reported in several cities—with cars set on fire and buildings defaced with slurs and protest slogans.

Against this backdrop, The Wall Street Journal reported that Tesla’s board had begun searching for a new CEO. Tesla officially denied the report, and on May 20, Musk said he had no intention of stepping down. He attributed the drop in sales to technical issues, including the temporary shutdown of some production lines. "Most customers don’t really care what political views the CEO holds," he said.