Politico

President Donald Trump has told his inner circle, including members of his Cabinet, that Elon Musk will be stepping back in the coming weeks from his current role as governing partner, ubiquitous cheerleader, and Washington hatchet man. The president remains pleased with Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency initiative but both men have decided in recent days that it will soon be time for Musk to return to his businesses and take on a supporting role, according to three Trump insiders who were granted anonymity to describe the evolving relationship. Musk’s looming exit comes as s

Elon Musk’s chaotic foray into politics has put a huge dent into his company Tesla, which faces protests and plummeting sales on two continents, and has lost nearly half its market value since his DOGE operation began storming Washington in January.

In recent months, as a testy war of words has begun to strain President Donald Trump’s coalition of hardline MAGA populists and right-leaning Silicon Valley tech elites, one member of that alliance has remained surprisingly mum: Vice President JD Vance. The VP's silence has been especially conspicuous considering his unique position in the skirmish.

Evan Feinman, a top Commerce Department official sent a blistering email to his former colleagues on his way out the door warning that the Trump administration is poised to unduly enrich Elon Musk’s satellite internet company with money for rural broadband. The technology offered by Starlink, Musk’s company, is inferior, Feinman warned.

President Donald Trump convened his Cabinet in person to deliver a message: You’re in charge of your departments, not Elon Musk. According to two administration officials, Trump told top members of his administration that Musk was empowered to make recommendations to the departments but not to issue unilateral decisions on staffing and policy.

For years, as the social-media and startup world exploded, the tech industry was known for the outspokenness of its employees — largely liberal-skewing young technologists on the West Coast, who pushed their companies hard to build policies that then became models for a new kind of American workplace. This is changing faster than anyone expected.