White House denies reports that Elon Musk will leave government soon: he will continue until "his incredible work at DOGE is complete"

Elon Musk will step down as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) later this spring, once "his incredible work at DOGE is complete," the White House confirmed Wednesday.

The announcement puts an end to speculation and rumors about his continued tenure, reaffirming that his role as a "special government employee" was always intended to be temporary.

Musk, who officially assumed leadership of DOGE following the executive order signed by President Donald Trump on January 20, has been the public face of this initiative aimed at downsizing and streamlining the federal government.

His contract, under the figure of the 'special government employee' mechanism created by Congress in 1962 to hire temporary personnel for specific projects, has a limit of 130 days within a 365-day period, according to the Office of Government Ethics. This term, which began on the day of his inauguration, ends on May 30.

The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, came out to debunk an article published on Wednesday by Politico, which suggested that Trump had informed his inner circle and members of his Cabinet that Musk would be stepping down in the coming weeks.

On his X account, Leavitt was fulminating, noting, "This 'scoop' is garbage," he wrote, stressing that both Musk and Trump have been clear from the start about the temporary nature of the position.

"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," she added.

For his part, White House spokesman Harrison Fields also harshly criticized Politico, accusing it of publishing "fake news to get clicks" instead of truthful information.

Also on his X account, Harrison noted:

"@politico has become a tabloid paper that would rather run fake news for clicks than real reporting. This is exactly why @POTUS and @DOGE have terminated millions of dollars in wasteful government contracts to so-called news organizations that have diminished their credibility with the American people."

However, a Politico spokesman defended the published report and toldFox News that the outlet stands by its reporting.

Musk's exit is not a surprise

Musk's exit is not a surprise. In an exclusive interview with Fox News's Bret Baier on Thursday, Musk himself addressed the 130-day limit on his contract. When asked if he planned to continue after that period, he replied, "I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that time frame."

President Trump, for his part, expressed admiration for Musk's work but also acknowledged that his time in government has a limit.

In comments to the media Monday, Trump said, "I think he's amazing. But I also think he's got a big company to run," Trump responded. "And so at some point he's going to be going back."

And he added: "I'd keep him as long as I can keep him. He's a very talented guy. You know, I love very smart people. He's very smart. And he's done a good job.” Trump highlighted DOGE's accomplishments, stating that "we've found numbers that nobody can even believe."