‘Finished, done, gone’: Once everywhere, now nowhere — Where did Trump’s ‘best buddy’ Elon Musk go?

After dominating headlines for months as Donald Trump’s go-to man on government reform, Elon Musk has suddenly faded from the spotlight. The Tesla CEO, once touted as the star of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is barely being mentioned now by the White House or Republican allies.

According to a Politico report, Musk hasn’t featured in a single Truth Social post by Trump since 31 March. Before that, the president couldn’t stop praising him, mentioning Musk four times a week and even 11 times in one week back in February.

Now, Musk is no longer front and centre in Cabinet meetings, press briefings, or on Capitol Hill.

Why the silence?

The shift came after a major embarrassment in early April. Musk had heavily backed conservative judge Brad Schimel in the Wisconsin state Supreme Court race, pouring in $21 million, an eye-popping sum for a judicial election. He even handed out $1 million cheques to voters and donned a cheesehead hat at a rally. But it backfired.

Liberal Judge Susan Crawford defeated Schimel by 10 points, despite the flashy campaign.

Two days later, a Marquette University Law School poll revealed that 58% disapproved of Musk’s handling of the secretive DOGE task force. Worse, 60% disapproved of him personally.

“He’s finished, done, gone. He polls terrible. People hate him,” an unnamed GOP operative told Politico. “He’d go to Wisconsin thinking he can buy people’s votes, wear the cheese hat, act like a 9-year-old... It doesn’t work. It’s offensive to people,” he added.

DOGE mission still alive, but with less Musk

By law, Musk could only serve as a special government employee for 130 days, ending in late May. Although he has scaled back, the White House insists the DOGE initiative is still moving forward.

“The mission of DOGE, to cut waste, fraud, and abuse, will surely continue. DOGE employees who onboarded at their respective agencies will continue to work with President Trump’s cabinet to make our government more efficient,” Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to Politico.

Still, the grand promises have fallen short. While Musk vowed to save $2 trillion, the task force has only claimed about $170 billion in savings, a figure reportedly offset by lost revenue after cuts to positions like IRS auditors who target tax evaders.

Tesla’s troubles and fading political spotlight

Adding to the quiet retreat, Tesla’s profits dropped by 71% in the first quarter of 2025. Musk promised investors he’d limit his DOGE role to one or two days per week starting May, likely contributing to his lower visibility in government.

Other Trump policies, like new tariffs, have also started drawing more attention than the DOGE reforms.

Still, Musk isn’t completely out. Trump invited him to the April 30 Cabinet meeting marking the president’s 100 days in office and later hosted him at a state dinner in Qatar and an investment event in Saudi Arabia.

At the Cabinet meeting, Trump acknowledged Musk’s efforts, saying, “We all want to thank you for your help. You really have sacrificed a lot.”