Featured Image Credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Elon Musk, US News, Donald Trump, Politics, News
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Elon Musk, US News, Donald Trump, Politics, News
Elon Musk has addressed what is being dubbed his 'break up' with United States president Donald Trump after leaving his Department of Government Efficiency role with a scathing social media post.
The pair share quite a history with Musk, whose Tesla cars have been heavily endorsed by Trump, heavily bankrolling the 78-year-old Republican's presidency campaign before being later made the non-Senate-confirmed head of the DOGE.
In his role, the 53-year-old billionaire and DOGE led the firing of thousands of federal employees and shuttering of federal departments as he sought to rid Washington of 'waste and fraud'.
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Now, there was a whole lot of talk online of Trump and Musk - who previously explained why he was stepping down from politics - getting involved in a 'break up'.
However, his departure reportedly wasn't due to such speculation and was instead down to the fact that Musk, who was branded as a 'special government employee', was allowed to work a federal job for 130 days each year.
Meaning that come today (29 May), his 130 days were up.
To announce his departure, he wrote on X: "As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending.
"The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government."
Musk has since addressed the rumours that his departure from DOGE was down to a 'falling out' with the US president by retweeting a pretty scathing post.
The tweet in question, posted earlier today (29 May) by an account with the handle @alx with the name 'American Supremacist', reads: "Legacy media is trying to frame Elon’s departure from DOGE as the result of a falling out with Trump."
It continued to list: "Elon was a special govt employee.
"Special govt employees can serve 130 days.
"130 days after January 20th is May 30th, this Friday."
The account signed off the tweet with a slur: "They are either r*tarded or think you are."
Musk himself has used the pejorative slur 'r*tard' on numerous occasions.
In the near-130 days he was in the DOGE role, Musk lost a staggering $53,000,000,000.
In late January, his net worth was $439,000,000,000, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire’s Index.
And now the publication reports that it sits at a slightly less $386,000,000,000 meaning he lost over $50 billion.