--- title: "After Leaving the Government in Ruins, Elon Musk Says He’s Giving Up on Politics" description: "Elon Musk, who spent $290 million on Trump's campaign, says he'll taper off political spending now that the federal government is in tatters." date: "2025-05-21" modified: "2025-05-21" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/elon-musk-giving-up-politics" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "tesla" --- # After Leaving the Government in Ruins, Elon Musk Says He’s Giving Up on Politics ![Elon Musk, who spent $290 million on Trump's campaign, says he'll taper off political spending now that the federal government is in tatters.]() *\Image: Robin Legrand / AFP via Getty / Futurism\* Even a centibillionaire's pockets only run so deep. With moths fluttering from his wallet, Elon Musk says he's going to do "a lot less" political spending from now on, as he steps back from his active involvement in the Trump administration. "I think I've done enough," Musk said Tuesday during an interview at the Qatar Economic Forum, [as quoted by the *Washington Post*](). Musk didn't completely shut the door, though, giving a non-answer when asked if his decision was due to the insane amount of "blowback" his businesses have faced from his role in politics. "Well, if I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it," Musk said. "I don't currently see a reason." It's a very convenient time for him to be backing out. Musk's already gotten what he wanted ([more or less]()), claiming to have slashed billions of dollars in federal expenditures and cutting off [critical government services]() in the process. To do that, though, he had to spend an absolute fortune to help Trump and other Republicans win office. The [latest filings]() indicate Musk furnished them with more than $290 million in the 2024 election — and the real figure may be even higher. On top of that, Musk has privately pledged to donate another $100 million to Trump-backed groups before the 2026 midterm elections, the [*New York Times* noted](), but whether he'll make good on that remains to be seen. All that money's nothing to sneeze at, in any case, even for the world's richest man. And these days, his fortune is looking more fragile, too, with [a lot of it]() tied up in Tesla shares, his automaker whose [stock performance]() — not to mention [actual business performance](), with plunging sales, profits, and the [surge of its Chinese competitors]() — is anything but stable. Even more of his wealth is derived from his ownership of SpaceX, which is [struggling]() to develop its Starship mega-rocket. Out of his myriad enterprises, Tesla has suffered the most from the public backlash to Musk's heavy-handed role in the Trump government, with its cavalcade of mortifications including those aforementioned plunging sales and profits, the latter of which fell by a staggering 71 percent in the first quarter. That backlash — which includes boycotts, demonstrations, and widespread [vandalism]() — largely catalyzed around Musk's taking a chainsaw to the federal government through his so-called Department of Government Efficiency and his embrace of [far-right ideals](). With fierce anti-Tesla sentiment showing no signs of letting up, Musk simply can't afford to divide attention away from the automaker any longer. The Cybertruck continues to be an [embarrassing flop](), and its recent stab at exciting buyers with a refresh of its best-selling Model Y has [landed with a thud](). Reading the writing on the wall, Musk [said last month]() that he intends to step back from his role in DOGE. Around that time, he also [admitted]() that his stint as an informal adviser to Trump was sinking Tesla. He doesn't plan to totally leave the limelight, however. During the Qatar conference, Musk reaffirmed his commitment to staying on with Tesla for at least another five years as CEO. He wants to cement "sufficient voting control," [Musk said per *CNBC*](), so he can't be kicked out by activist investors. "It's not a money thing," Musk added. "It's a reasonable control thing over the future of the company." **More on Elon Musk:** *[Elon Musk "Finished," His Close Allies Admit]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()