Elon Musk has announced his resignation from his brief political career, citing displeasure with the Trump administration’s recent budgetary measures.

Musk, who worked as a special government employee, a temporary position with up to 130 working days a year, was set to leave on May 28. However, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO quit three days early, immediately after openly denouncing President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” In a teaser clip shown by CBS on May 27, Musk said, “I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill; frankly, it increases the budget deficit rather than decreasing it and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.”

“I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful… but I don’t know if it can be both,” he said, according to CBS. According to the BBC, Elon Musk’s comments encouraged the White House to start the offboarding procedure ahead of schedule.

Musk acknowledged the change on his platform X, writing, “As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee ends, I’d like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending.” The @DOGE mission will only become stronger as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”

So yet, Trump has not released a clear remark. However, a mysterious picture uploaded on Truth Social depicted the president strolling alone on a dark street with the caption, “He’s on a mission from God & nothing can stop what’s coming.”

Despite not winning an election, Musk co-chaired the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Their mission was to reduce government waste, streamline bureaucracy, and decrease expenditures, which included giant layoffs, the destruction of DEI programs, and significant budget cutbacks to the Department of Education.

Elon Musk had earlier committed to completely shutting down the department by July 4, 2026, to symbolically conclude the project on the same day as the United States Independence Day. What Is The “Big, Beautiful Bill”? The newly announced spending measure contains significant increases in defense expenditure, trillion-dollar tax benefits, and President Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense system.

Despite barely passing the House of Representatives, the measure still needs Senate approval. Critics, including Musk, believe that it might result in up to $600 billion in government expenditure over the next fiscal year, thus violating the DOGE department’s mandate of fiscal discipline.

While Musk’s stint in government was always intended to be brief, his departure, along with harsh public criticism, has exposed a high-profile schism between two of the Republican Party’s most recognizable individuals.