Elon’s days in the White House may be numbered

Since Elon Musk‘s endorsement of President Trump last year, the CEO of SpaceX has spent more time in politics than worrying about his companies, including Tesla. With Tesla’s Q1 earnings out this week, Elon announced he would be stepping back from his time at the White House to focus on the company.

After Tesla missed its first-quarter earnings goals, Musk shared on the company’s call with investors that he plans to step back from working at the White House as a special government employee to one or two days a week. This likely also means he will spend some more time at SpaceX.

Elon’s time spent at all of his companies has also been a topic of discussion, mostly among Tesla investors, as Tesla is the only publicly traded company of the bunch. However, Musk usually splits his time a few days a week between Tesla, SpaceX, and various other companies.

His time in politics working at the White House, campaigning for conservative politicians, and spreading misinformation has consumed much of the time he spent being the innovative CEO he once was.

Musk’s title as a special government employee is only valid for 130 days, which Musk shares could be up in late May. However, his reduced days on the job could extend that deadline. What will happen afterward is unknown, but it’s expected he’s not going anywhere and will stick around as an advisor to the President.

His short time in government has already proven beneficial for him and SpaceX, although not for Tesla. Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, has received numerous contracts with the FAA and DoD, and is even in use at the White House… sort of.

On the other hand, Tesla’s stock has tanked and the brand has seen possibly irreversible damage.

However, Musk’s unpopular cuts as the de facto head of DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, have led to him potentially being more of a political liability than an asset.

Despite President Trump’s continued praise of the businessman, insider reports show him distancing himself from him in hopes of not ruining his chances of keeping the Republican majority in the midterms next year.