Billionaire Elon Musk has officially left the Trump administration and his controversial role leading an effort to gut the federal government apparatus—so of course Minnesota Governor Tim Walz had something hilarious to say about it.
Musk is gone as of Thursday night, signaling the close of a tumultuous tenure as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory body charged with slashing federal operations. His time in Washington was marked by sweeping layoffs, the dismantling of key government offices, a wave of litigation, and significant protests against his efforts.
Musk’s role in the Trump administration was always intended to be short-term, and he had recently indicated plans to refocus on his private ventures, including Tesla and SpaceX.
His departure comes amid mounting challenges for Tesla, which has faced sharp financial headwinds. The company’s stock has plummeted in recent months, fueled in part by global backlash to Musk’s controversial decisions and political involvement, which have sparked widespread protests and damaged the brand's public image.
And despite all that talk about cutting federal spending and balancing the budget, Musk kept moving the goalposts—but Walz cheekily noted that Musk's decision to leave is probably the biggest sign of DOGE's success when he responded with the following to a report about Musk's departure from the Associated Press:
"Finally rooting out waste and abuse."
You can see his post below.
People loved his response.
Others criticized Musk more directly.
Walz has mocked Musk for months, including after news outlets reported that Tesla shares have plunged over 40% since January, wiping out the entire “Trump bump” that had temporarily driven the stock up more than 90% following Election Day.
After Musk called Walz a "creep," Walz made clear that "surely a billionaire who sheds a tear for his own portfolio can understand our concern when he grins and raises a chainsaw to the people’s retirement plan."
Tesla shares have rebounded as Musk's exit raised investors' hopes he'd refocus his efforts on salvaging the company brand.
We'll see how long that lasts.
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