In February, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, wielded a chainsaw at a conservative gathering as he gleefully spoke of his new role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he’ll soon reach his legal term limit. The chainsaw metaphor is brutally apt as he slashes government spending, jeopardising the future of health care for low-income citizens, consumer protection, education programs and humanitarian aid, among other things.
Musk’s DOGE has instigated what has been called a lawless assault on United States public services, threatening the jobs of hundreds of thousands of people while undermining the institutions of American democracy. While other tech billionaires like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg have ingratiated themselves with Trump, Musk has become his chief henchman, seeking to axe up to US$2 trillion from the US federal budget.
But as a special government employee, there is a strict 130-day limit on his position, expected to expire in late May or early June. “He’s got a big company to run … at some point he’s going to be going back,” Donald Trump told reporters on Monday. “I’d keep him as long as I could keep him.” A senior administration official told Politico on Wednesday that Musk will likely retain an informal role as an adviser.
