It could be a short but memorable stint for Elon Musk's time in politics, and while he was never officially elected into power, his designation as a 'special government employee' has seen him lord it over us as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
Tasked with slashing $2 trillion from federal spending, he's been firing thousands of government workers and gutting whole departments.
Although there have been questions over what power the DOGE actually has, there's no denying that Musk's closeness to President Donald Trump has raised some questions.
While we already knew that Elon Musk's special government employee status means that he can only work for 130 days out of the year, and with that deadline approaching, his time with the DOGE was always going to be done (for now).
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There were spectacular reports that he'd soon be leaving the DOGE, and with it seemingly being for good, President Trump even suggested that the whole department could soon be shuttered.
Keen to dispel the myths, Musk has addressed the rumors head-on with a savage three-word response. Posting on X, the DOGE overlord simply wrote: "Yeah, fake news."
He was responding to a post from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said the supposed 'scoop' on Musk's departure was 'garbage'. Leavitt added: "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."
Leavitt took issue with a Politico article reporting that "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."
Still, it's unclear where Musk stands on the 130-day limit. It's possible he'll go back to running his private ventures like Tesla and SpaceX before returning to finish the job at the start of 2026.
At least we know Musk is still in the POTUS' good books, with Trump saying: "I’d keep him as long as I could keep him."
Musk has remained committed to the DOGE despite the backlash and death threats he's supposedly received. He also vowed to keep going even though his net worth has plummeted. Part of the problem is that many think Musk isn't taking the issue of people losing their livelihoods seriously.
With him going viral for brandishing gilded chainsaws and wearing wedges of cheese on his head, these allegations are only getting worse.
Discussing the Politico article, White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told Fox Digital: "Politico has become a tabloid paper that would rather run fake news for clicks than real reporting.
"This is exactly why President Trump 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."
Even if Musk is hanging around for now, the original plan set out a historic expiry date for the DOGE, supposedly closing down on July 4, 2026. This would mark Independence Day and the 250th anniversary of the USA.