PRESIDENT Donald Trump has told close confidantes, including members of his cabinet, that Elon Musk will be leaving his current role in the coming weeks.
Trump has reportedly said he and Musk remain positive about his work on the Department of Government Efficiency, but it would be best for billionaire Musk to return to his businesses.
Three Trump insiders have briefed media about the latest development.
It comes as Musk's car company Tesla revealed sales plunged to their lowest for almost three years over the start of 2025.
The electric car manufacturer saw sales tumble 13% over the first quarter of the year , with international criticism of boss Musk considered a major factor. Shares dropped in pre-market trading as a result.
It told investors on Wednesday that it delivered the sale of 336,681 vehicles in the three months to the end of March. This represented its weakest sales performance since the second quarter of 2022.
One senior Trump official said Musk is likely to transition to a more informal role as an adviser and be on White House grounds occasionally. Another said that anyone who thinks Musk is going to disappear entirely from Trump’s inner circle is “fooling themselves.”
The move, the insiders said, is likely to correspond to the end of Musk’s time as a “special government employee."
This is a special status that temporarily exempts individuals from a number of ethics and conflict of interest rules.
Musk's 130-day period is expected to expire in late May or early June.
On Monday night, Trump told reporters that “at some point Elon’s going to want to go back to his company,” adding: “He wants to. I’d keep him as long as I could keep him.”
“As the president said, this White House would love to keep Elon around for as long as possible,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said on Tuesday.
He added: "Elon has been instrumental in executing the president’s agenda, and will continue this good work until the President says otherwise.”
