Elon Musk delivers remarks in the Oval Office at the White House on February 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo:
Andrew Harnik/Getty
- Vice President J.D. Vance says that Elon Musk will remain a “friend and adviser” to President Donald Trump when he finishes his current White House projects.
- In a new interview with Fox News, Vance asserted that Musk’s DOGE work “is not even close to done,” despite recent reports that the tech CEO will take a step back soon.
- Following Trump’s reelection, Musk was brought into the White House on a 130-day contract as a “special government employee.”
Amid reports that Elon Musk will soon be stepping back from his advisory role in the Trump White House, Vice President J.D. Vance says the tech billionaire will remain a “friend and adviser” to the administration.
In a Fox & Friends interview on Thursday, April 3, Vance sat down with Fox News’ Lawrence Jones to discuss a range of topics, including the recent reporting that Trump told his inner circle that Musk will be shifting to a “supporting role” and returning focus to his business ventures.
Calling the reports “fake news,” the vice president said Musk will continue to be part of a “long and committed effort” to undo the “vast bureaucracy that thwarts the will of the American people.”
Following Trump’s reelection, Musk was brought in on a 130-day contract as a “special government employee” in the administration, leading the efforts of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency.
“DOGE has got a lot of work to do, and yeah, that work is going to continue after Elon leaves,” Vance said. “But fundamentally, Elon is going to remain a friend and an adviser of both me and the president.”
“The work of DOGE is not even close to done,” the VP added. “He’s done a lot of good things.”
Politico‘s Rachel Bade reported on April 2 that some White House insiders “increasingly view [Musk] as a political liability.”
There also seem to be varying views about how Musk’s transition could go. While one senior administration official said the Tesla CEO is likely to “retain an informal role” as a Trump adviser, another warned that Musk’s critics would be “fooling themselves” to believe his influence on the president will be significantly reduced.
Elon Musk speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty
The transition would come at a turbulent time for Musk. On the business front, his Tesla Cybertrucks are being recalled, his SpaceX Starship recently exploded, Tesla’s stock prices have plummeted and damaged his net worth, and people continue launching protest attacks on Tesla dealerships.
Musk has also faced a barrage of family drama, including being publicly criticized by his estranged daughter, his former partner Grimes, and another mother of one of his 14 known children.
Most recently, Musk’s unpopularity on the national stage became widely apparent when the conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate whom he poured millions of dollars into getting elected lost to a left-leaning judge by nearly 10 points on Tuesday, April 1.
President Donald Trump and Elon Musk depart after looking at Tesla vehicles on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Getty
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Musk’s White House tenure got off to a rough start when he had to respond to Nazi allegations on day one because of the headline-making hand gesture he threw up after the inauguration.
Musk was still defending the Nazi-like salute as recently as April 2, when he reposted an X video which showed still images of “Democrats” allegedly making the same hand move.
