Trump Says Musk’s Time Is Almost Up...But Is It?

From MAGA mascot to liability — Musk may finally be getting benched.

Elon Musk might soon be stepping away from the Trump administration—not because he’s failed, but because he’s succeeded too loudly.

According to multiple Trump insiders, Musk is preparing to dial down his role as Trump’s “governing partner” and unofficial mascot of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency—an Orwellian title for Musk’s real job: slashing federal agencies like a bored billionaire on a budget-cutting spree.

The news comes amid growing frustration among Trump officials and conservative allies who’ve found Musk’s unpredictability—and $20 million political flops—more trouble than it’s worth. One particularly brutal example: Musk-backed conservative judge Brad Schimel just lost his bid for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat by 10 points to Susan Crawford. Democrats wasted no time painting the defeat as a referendum on Musk’s meddling.

Musk, in true post-defeat spin mode, tried to play it off like a calculated sacrifice, posting: “I expected to lose, but there is value to losing a piece for a positional gain.” Which is a poetic way of saying: “I torched millions on a losing bet I couldn’t win, but hey, maybe I moved a pawn.”

Let’s just say…when you lose Wisconsin by double digits after dropping Tesla money into the race like it’s Dogecoin, even Trump starts to wonder if it’s time to let you “spend more time with your rockets.”

From MAGA Mascot to May Exit

The shift is a sharp turn from just weeks ago, when MAGA world insisted Elon was “here to stay.” But now, insiders say the countdown is on. Musk’s 130-day appointment as a “special government employee” which conveniently shielded him from pesky ethics rules—is set to expire in late May or early June.

Trump, for now, remains publicly pleased with Musk. He even gave him a glowing send-off at a March 24 Cabinet meeting, where Elon showed up in full cosplay: red MAGA hat and all. The President praised him for surviving death threats and vandalism, called him “a patriot,” and, with cameras rolling, made the awkward farewell look like a campaign ad.

Ah yes, Elon—nothing screams “patriot” like mass layoffs, tax breaks, and torching Social Security from a luxury rocket.

Cabinet secretaries who previously clashed with Musk—reportedly over things like unilateral cuts to federal programs and weekend email blasts demanding productivity reports — dutifully joined the lovefest. Because nothing says “team unity” like pretending your boss’s favorite chaos agent didn’t just slash Ebola prevention funding by accident.

The Musk Problem

Even among Trump’s loyalists, there’s growing agreement: Elon Musk is a genius until he’s your problem. While his defenders argue that he’s trimmed all the fat he can from the government (and possibly a few arteries), others say he’s simply too erratic. He frequently bypassed the chain of command, blindsided agencies with rogue posts on Twitter, and reportedly operated with all the subtlety of a raccoon in a server room.

And now he’s a political vulnerability. Democrats have latched onto Musk as the poster boy of MAGA’s anti-government crusade—an eccentric billionaire cutting safety nets while live-tweeting memes about “wokeness.” Even some in Trump’s inner circle admit that Musk’s antics have handed the opposition a unifying symbol.

One senior official told reporters that Musk won’t fully disappear, suggesting he’ll keep advising Trump informally—because if there’s one thing this administration loves, it’s shadow leadership by wealthy men with zero accountability.

But let’s be real: if your legacy includes slashing public health programs by mistake and turning a Supreme Court race into a $20 million loss, maybe it’s time to go back to blowing up rockets.

Mission (Kinda) Accomplished

In just four months, Musk says he’s reduced the deficit by a trillion dollars. Either he’s an economic wizard—or he’s counting layoffs, defunded science programs, and dismantled oversight offices as “savings.” Kind of like saying you “saved money” by canceling your fire insurance.

White House spokesperson Harrison Fields insisted, “Elon has been instrumental in executing the President’s agenda,” adding that Musk would continue until Trump says otherwise. Translation: Musk’s still around, but maybe keep the cameras off for now.

A Quiet Goodbye...or Just a Costume Change?

Trump recently told reporters that “at some point Elon’s gonna want to go back to his company,” sounding more like a dad letting a toddler leave daycare early than a president managing a government partner.

But the writing’s on the wall—it’s spray-painted in all caps like one of Musk’s vandalized Cybertrucks. Between the backlash, the backroom clashes, and the ballooning liability, the Musk moment may be winding down. And for many inside the West Wing, that’s a welcome development.

Of course, if Musk says he’s stepping down, don’t expect a clean break—just ask Linda Yaccarino, who’s still trying to find the steering wheel over at Twitter.

The only question now is whether Elon exits quietly…or rage-posts the whole thing in real time from a ketamine-fueled spiral.