Trump: DOGE Will Remain Active After Musk Leaves

President Donald Trump recently told reporters on Air Force One that the Department of Government Efficiency will continue its mission after Elon Musk steps away.

“I would say Elon will stay for a certain period of time, and then he’s going to want to get back to his businesses full-time, but he’s done a fantastic job,” Trump said last week, according to the Washington Examiner. “We’re in no rush, but there will be a point at which time Elon is going to have to leave.”

According to the executive order Trump signed his first day in office, DOGE will remain operational until July 4, 2026.

The president said that DOGE will carry on with its work after Musk leaves, but stressed that he wants the tech mogul to stay with the advisory panel “as long as possible.”

“There will be a point when he’s going to have to leave, and when he does, the secretaries will take totally over, and DOGE will stay active,” Trump said.

In an appearance on “Fox & Friends” last week, Vice President J.D. Vance highlighted Musk’s specialized role in the administration and pushed back against claims that his tenure was almost up.

“Elon came in, and we said, we need you to make government more efficient, we need you to shrink the incredible, vast bureaucracy that thwarts the will of the American people and also costs way too much money, and we said that’s going to take about six months,” Vance said. “The work of DOGE is not even close to done. The work of Elon is not even close to done.”

Even after he completes his work at DOGE, Vance said that Musk would continue to have an advisory role in the Trump administration.

“Fundamentally, Elon is going to remain a friend and adviser of both me and the president and he’s done a lot of good things,” Vance said.

Politico reported last week that Musk would hand over the reins to DOGE to focus more on his private businesses, but the White House disputed the story.

"This ‘scoop’ is garbage," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X. “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.”

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO’s term as a “special government employee” was reportedly 130 days from the outset, expiring in early June.