By Dan Rather
All the money in the world couldn’t rescue Elon Musk from Washington politics. The Beltway bunch made their decision: “Enough!” they said, and without so much as an adios, he was run out of town. The eccentric, multibillionaire conspiracy theorist, who was once joined at the hip with the president, has suddenly found himself untethered from Trump.
And just like that, Musk is relegated to the end of the receiving line. As Harry Truman once quipped of Washington, if you want a friend, get a dog.
These days Musk can’t get the time of day from Trump. Why? All that cash to help elect the president and the MAGA faithful can’t hide the most important numbers: approval ratings. Musk’s are terrible — worse than Trump’s, if you can believe that. Musk’s stench is rubbing off on his former “first buddy.”
During his four-month tenure, Musk quickly became one of the most disliked unelected officials ever. Can you think of anyone who comes close?
It all came to an ignominious end last night, with zero fanfare. Via a post on his social media platform, X, Musk formally announced he’s leaving the administration. He received no grand send-off, no Oval Office farewell, not even an “attaboy” from Trump.
Musk confirmed the news and thanked Trump for the opportunity, adding: “The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
Don’t bet the ranch on that. He came in, chainsaw revving, with the mandate to slash and burn his way through the federal bureaucracy. At first he claimed he would find $2 trillion dollars in “waste, fraud and abuse.” He quickly adjusted the goal to $1 trillion, then downsized again to $150 billion.
It’s impossible to know what the actual number will be, and the White House isn’t saying. We also don’t know how many jobs he’s eliminated. It’s in the tens of thousands, maybe more — but again, the administration is not bragging or even talking about it. They likely don’t know since many of the firings and layoffs have been stopped or reversed by the courts.
And then the proverbial straw for Musk was the passage of the House budget bill, which hikes the deficit by more than $2 trillion, wiping out any “savings” he found with his firing and cuts. It was Washington’s way of saying, “Thanks, we’ll take it from here.” Musk, his feelings hurt, was gone in less than a week.
But the nail in Musk’s political coffin was hammered much earlier and many miles from D.C. In early April, Musk spent $20 million to help a Republican candidate win a seat on the Wisconsin State Supreme Court — only to see his candidate lose the race to a Democrat by double digits.
That was all the White House needed to see. Without Trump on the ballot, Musk and his toxicity became a big-time liability. Yes, they’ll still take his money, but only on the down-low, please. And he’s still likely to receive big government contracts for his varied businesses.
For all the damage Musk has done, the biggest hit may be to his reputation and that of his companies. Tesla is tanking, as evidenced by a 71% drop in quarterly profits and a 13% decline in year-over-year sales. A coalition of shareholders is demanding Musk now commit at least 40 hours a week to his electric car company. Musk admitted in an interview with Ars Technica that he “probably did spend a bit too much time on politics.”
So here we are with another fine Trump-made mess: DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, isn’t really a department, and it hasn’t created more efficiency. It wasn’t mandated or funded by Congress but by a Trump executive order. Its mission is a mystery to many in the Capital. Safe to say politicians of all stripes are happy to see Musk exiting the Beltway and just wish DOGE would follow its leader.
Musk has already decamped from Washington, retreating to the wilds of south Texas, where he’s now devoting his time and money to keeping his rockets in the air and his car business afloat.
He never played well with others, so he petulantly stomped his metaphorical feet when he didn’t get to do exactly what he wanted to do. Oligarchs and democracy don’t mix. It will take years to rebuild our government and to replace the expertise he pushed out the door.
But for all the pain he inflicted on thousands of government workers and programs he destroyed, do not forget that Musk’s empire was built, according to The Washington Post, with $38 billion in government funding through contracts, loans, subsidies, and tax credits.
You’re welcome, Elon.
Dan Rather is a prominent American journalist, known for his long career with CBS News, where he served as the anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News from 1981 to 2005. He began his career in Texas, rising to national prominence after covering Hurricane Carla and later becoming a respected figure in broadcast journalism.
