Elon Musk\u2019s first 100 days in the White House were filled with twists and turns as the world\u2019s richest person became one of the most influential and contentious figures in Washington in a matter of weeks.<\/p>\n
The tech billionaire\u00a0wasted no time jumping into the political fray upon\u00a0President Trump\u2019s return to the White House, moving at breakneck speed to carry out the president\u2019s government cost-cutting initiative, dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency\u00a0(DOGE).<\/p>\n
As DOGE\u2019s work dominated the news and Musk appeared alongside the president nearly every day, he faced mounting scrutiny from the public and even some within Trump\u2019s circle over his increasing influence as a nongovernment employee.<\/p>\n
After nearly three months of repeated backlash against Musk and his companies, political strategists say\u00a0his omnipresence is fading as the dust settles.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat influence has been reined in a little bit, whether that is his choice or the White House\u2019s choice, I don\u2019t know, but I would guess the White House has put their thumb on the scale a little bit when it comes to Elon,\u201d GOP strategist Brittany Martinez told The Hill.<\/p>\n
The first few weeks of DOGE were marked by chaos and confusion as Musk and his low-profile team imposed\u00a0mass layoffs and spending cuts across federal agencies to reduce the federal workforce.<\/p>\n
\u201cMusk hit the ground running with a vengeance and just went after everything,\u201d said Paul Levinson, a professor of communications and media studies at Fordham University.<\/p>\n
Shortly into Trump\u2019s second term, Musk appeared in February at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) wielding a chainsaw,<\/a> which would become a symbol of DOGE. <\/p>\n Musk admitted Wednesday<\/a> the first few weeks of DOGE were \u201cintense,\u201d adding he spent almost seven days a week at the White House. \u00a0<\/p>\n The \u201cmove fast and break things\u201d approach mirrored Musk\u2019s leadership<\/a> in Silicon Valley and his technology companies, where the billionaire and a group of loyal deputies slashed employees and programs he deemed unnecessary.<\/p>\n At its inception, DOGE was largely supported<\/a> by Republican lawmakers, who remain thankful Musk brought a spotlight on government reduction, even as some have frustrations over his approach. <\/p>\n \u201cHe has brought incredible energy and creativity to ferreting out waste, fraud and abuse, and I\u2019m very grateful that he\u2019s spent the time and energy to do so,\u201d Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told The Hill.<\/p>\n GOP strategists acknowledged the effort is nothing new to the party and will likely last past Musk\u2019s time in the White House.<\/p>\n \u201cThe project on the right to rein in spending, to cut government, to make it more efficient, has been a decades-long project, and\u00a0it\u2019s not like we weren\u2019t trying that whole time,\u201d Republican strategist Chris Johnson said. \u201cI think Elon came in assuming … I don\u2019t know if he thought it was fake, or we weren\u2019t trying hard enough.\u201d<\/p>\n DOGE set out in January to make up to $2 trillion in cuts to federal spending, though the actual number of cuts ended up being far lower after 100 days.<\/p>\n Trump said Wednesday that DOGE found $150 million in potential cuts to the federal budget, noting he thinks \u201cthings being worked on\u201d could double or triple that number.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the main lessons is if one of the smartest people on Earth is stymied by different systems and institutions and regulations, that\u2019s probably a sign that this is going to be a long project that\u2019s going to be going on much longer than Elon,\u201d Johnson added. <\/p>\n While the long-term effects of DOGE remain to be seen, the program and staffing cuts are already impacting agencies. The DOGE cuts, for instance, slashed funding for the 9\/11 first responder survivors\u2019 health program, but was restored by the White House amid criticism. \u00a0<\/p>\n From environmental advocates to public health researchers, the cuts also sparked fears of \u201cbrain drain\u201d<\/a> among staffers, along with a loss of institutional knowledge from longtime employees. <\/p>\n The DOGE team\u2019s infiltration of federal agencies ruffled feathers within the Trump\u00a0administration,\u00a0too, forcing the president to answer tough questions about how much power Musk holds.<\/p>\n At a Cabinet meeting in early March, Trump shifted his tone and stressed his secretaries are the lead on staffing choices. He insisted the cuts be made with a \u201cscalpel\u201d instead of a \u201chatchet.\u201d <\/p>\n Although the president dismissed rumors of infighting between Musk and other White House deputies, the comments marked the first time Trump publicly made clear the tech billionaire\u2019s power was limited.<\/p>\n \u201cMusk\u2019s much more of a team player,\u201d Johnson said when asked about the White House dynamics. \u201cHe’s proven himself to be loyal to the GOP, not just to Trump.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cWhen he came in, there was this, \u2018What is this guy doing? What’s his angle?\u2019 And ultimately, for a lot of people, they\u2019ve kind of come to the conclusion that he doesn’t really have an angle,\u201d Johnson added. \u201cHe just wants Republicans to win because he thinks it’s good for America.\u201d <\/p>\n Since then, Musk\u2019s ubiquitousness both online and in Washington somewhat declined, strategists said. This included a scaling back of public sparring with Trump World figures such as former White House strategist Steven Bannon.<\/p>\n Musk \u201chas taken a less combative approach towards folks who disagree with\u00a0him,\u00a0and that\u2019s abundantly clear,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n Still, Democrats are not backing down on their criticism, sending inquiries nearly every week over his conflicts of interest<\/a> and DOGE\u2019s access<\/a> to sensitive data housed in federal agencies. <\/p>\n The initial shock and awe of DOGE\u2019s moves began to subside in March, though the public backlash was just beginning against the Trump administration and Musk. <\/p>\n Dozens of protests popped up across the country, often taking place at Musk-owned Tesla showrooms or charging stations. The protests were largely peaceful, though some became violent with Molotov cocktails or shots fired at showrooms. <\/p>\nTrump shifts tone on Musk<\/h2>\n
Backlash spills into Musk\u2019s businesses<\/h2>\n