American billionaire and head of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Elon Musk has decided to step away from politics and return to his companies Tesla and Space X. The reasons are difficulties in achieving results, as well as concerns about personal and family safety.
This is reported by The Washington Post, citing sources.
Elon Musk has focused on politics over the past year. He has become one of US President Donald Trumpʼs most vocal allies, spending at least $288 million on the 2024 election and leading the DOGE, which has initiated massive cuts in US civil service. However, sources say that Muskʼs enthusiasm has recently faded.
All because of personal losses and difficulties in achieving political results. Musk is also deeply concerned about his own safety and that of his family. He did not expect this level of criticism against him or his companies — including acts of violence at Tesla facilities. All this forced him to focus again on the main thing — on his companies Tesla and SpaceX.
Musk recently said at the Qatar Economic Forum that he would spend “significantly less” on political contributions unless there was a compelling reason to do so. According to one of his acquaintances, Musk has become increasingly disillusioned with the power of money to influence the political system and wants to direct his resources elsewhere.
Getty Images / «Babel'»
Musk said his attention is back on Tesla and SpaceX, the companies that have cemented his image as a techno-innovator. Musk aims to send an unmanned fleet to Mars as early as 2026, a major step toward his long-held dream of colonizing the Red Planet.
Meanwhile, the results of his political interventions remain mixed. Musk, however, went all in. During the 2024 election, he became such an active donor that in Republican circles he was called the “Soros of the right” — in contrast to George Soros, the famous liberal philanthropist.
At the same time, Muskʼs acquaintances say he did not expect this level of rejection for his political activities. His participation in DOGE has sparked global protests at Tesla charging stations and dealerships, as well as incidents of vandalism, arson and shootings. In April, Tesla reported a 71% drop in profits for the first quarter of 2025.
Another demotivating factor could be a sharp loss of popularity. According to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll published in April 2025, only 35% of Americans approve of Muskʼs performance on Trumpʼs team, while 57% disapprove.
While Musk has been mired in Washington’s political games, his company SpaceX has not slowed down. SpaceX is now under pressure from NASA, which wants to land astronauts on the moon before China does. But it is unlikely to succeed.
But Muskʼs ultimate goal is even more ambitious: Mars. He has repeatedly stated that he wants to send a fleet of Starships to the Red Planet by 2026, when Earth and Mars will be at a minimum distance. According to his associates, it is precisely the desire to realize this goal that is forcing Musk to return to SpaceX.
And while Musk focuses on Mars, his departure from political spending will be a serious loss for the US Republican Party.
- In April 2025, Elon Musk reported that he would significantly reduce the time he spent on the Donald Trump administration starting in May and focus more on running his many companies. He noted that he wanted to spend approximately 40% of his time on DOGE.
- Recently, Musk has been gradually disappearing from the public space — Trump mentions him less and less in posts on the social network Truth Social, and the presidentʼs fundraising team has almost stopped sending emails mentioning the billionaire.
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