White House dismisses rumors of Musk stepping down from DOGE, says media report 'garbage'

Karoline Leavitt dismisses rumors of Musk stepping down from DOGE

Karoline Leavitt, Assistant to the President and White House Press Secretary, dismissed rumors that President Donald Trump had informed his inner circle about Elon Musk stepping down from his role at DOGE, calling the "scoop" false and baseless.

The White House Press Secretary called the recent Politico report as "garbage," and further clarified that that both Musk and President Trump have publicly stated that Musk will only leave his public service position once his work at DOGE is completed.

This scoop is garbage.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. https://t.co/Brppff6SKi
Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) April 2, 2025

The Politico report had stated that President Trump told his inner circle, including Cabinet members, that Musk would soon step back from his current role as governing partner, ubiquitous cheerleader and Washington hatchet man.

However, Leavitt dismissed the report, confirming that Musk’s exit is contingent upon the completion of his ongoing work at DOGE, which has not been finished yet.

The report had said that both Trump and Musk decided in recent days that Musk will soon return to his businesses, but gave no specific date.

According to a White House source speaking to Reuters, Musk's investors have urged him to prioritize his companies, with the expectation that his work with DOGE will wrap up within 130 days—a timeline that Musk has reportedly shared with the president.

The White House source further emphasized that Musk is not leaving before completing his work with DOGE and that there is no push for him to exit early.

When asked on Monday if he hoped Musk would stay beyond the 130-day term, President Trump responded, "I think he's amazing, but I also think he's got a big company to run. At some point, he's going to be going back. He wants to."

Neither Musk nor DOGE have yet issued a comment on the report.