There are growing signs that billionaire Elon Musk will soon completely retire from active political activity and focus on his company Tesla, whose business is not going well. The Washington Post writes that the all-American troublemaker was disappointed by the results of his work as head of the Department for Government Efficiency Improvement (DOGE). Musk has achieved little, made new enemies, and even began to fear for his own safety.
May 30 is approaching, the date when 130 days will expire, during which, according to American law, so-called special government employees can be in office. Musk has this status, as do all other DOGE employees. So, either on May 30, Trump must come up with some other form of representation for the billionaire in American politics, or Musk will have to be content with just being the president’s friend and golf partner. There is a high probability that the US president will prefer the latter.
Back on May 21, in an interview with Bloomberg, Musk said that he intends to reduce his involvement in political activities and devote more time to business – that is, to meet Tesla investors halfway. Its shares have fallen by 15% since the beginning of the year. After all, while Musk was breaking down the doors to government agencies and threatening to fire thousands of American government employees, Tesla’s competitor, Chinese electric car manufacturer BYD, was increasing sales, setting export records.
The Washington Post writes that Musk is going to leave politics altogether. If this really happens, many people from Trump’s entourage will be happy. During his short time working to optimize the work of government agencies, Musk, according to the media, managed to quarrel with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has now become perhaps the most influential person in the foreign policy unit of the White House administration. In addition, the billionaire has done a lot to drop Trump’s own rating. The majority of the current president’s voters, and not only them, approve of the idea of reducing the bloated state apparatus. But that’s why not all of them understood why Musk and his strange department with vague powers were entrusted with firing people who sometimes served for decades in their positions.
The billionaire’s major political setback was the election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which took place in April. Musk actively supported Republican Brad Schimmel, campaigned for him personally, apparently sincerely believing that his personal charisma could ensure victory for any candidate. But it turned out the opposite. Schimmel lost to Democrat Susan Crawford, who, by the way, was supported by one of the most hated American politicians to Trump and Trumpists, former President Barack Obama. The defeat in Wisconsin is especially disappointing for the current president because Trump won last year’s presidential election here. The state, according to American political scientists, is gradually becoming Republican. As Musk himself feared, the state Supreme Court could stop this process. Judges have the right to redraw the boundaries of local electoral districts so that Democrats will have an advantage in voting. This means that it was very important for Republicans to gain control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, given that midterm congressional elections are coming in 2026. As a result, Republicans risk losing their majority in one or both chambers of the supreme legislative body. Then most of Trump’s endeavors will have to be given up.
Musk was well aware that his involvement in American politics could be very limited. The billionaire immediately had to forget about the post of Trump’s successor, which was predicted by some admirers unfamiliar with US law. Being a native of South Africa, he has no right to stand for the American presidential election. However, he also seems to have failed in his role as an informal political star, adviser and “presidential maker.”
Musk is quite sensitive to press reports about his failures in American politics. Last week, in response to an article in The Atlantic magazine describing his quarrels with people from the White House, he launched a torrent of insults at its authors. Nevertheless, it is the end of May. A significant portion of Democrats in the House of Representatives and the Senate have already called for Musk to resign. The corresponding letter was signed by 77 members of the lower house of Congress. It is possible that they will have supporters in the Republican Party. And then Trump, even if he wants to keep Musk in politics, will have to give in.