Elon Musk Abruptly Quits Trump Admin Role, Slams “Big, Beautiful Bill”
In a dramatic twist that’s stirring political and tech circles alike, Elon Musk has officially stepped down from his short-term government role—three days earlier than scheduled—after publicly criticizing President Donald Trump’s controversial new spending bill.
“I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful… but I don’t know if it can be both,” Musk remarked in a CBS interview aired May 27.
Musk’s Short-Lived Government Role
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO had been serving as a Special Government Employee, a temporary advisory position allowing up to 130 working days per year. Musk was co-leading the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, with a bold mission: slash federal waste, dismantle bureaucracies, and aggressively cut costs.
The role wasn’t elected, and from the outset, it had a clear expiration date. Musk was set to finish on May 28, but after what he saw in Trump’s proposed fiscal strategy, he cut his tenure short.
“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill. Frankly, it increases the budget deficit, not decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk told CBS.
What’s in the “Big, Beautiful Bill”?
The spending bill at the heart of the rift—nicknamed by Trump as the “Big, Beautiful Bill”—includes a staggering boost in defense spending, trillions in corporate tax breaks, and funding for the president’s new “Golden Dome” missile defense system. While the legislation narrowly passed the House of Representatives, it still awaits Senate approval.
