Elon Musk’s first 100 days in the White House were filled with twists and turns as the world’s richest person became one of the most influential and contentious figures in Washington in a matter of weeks.

The tech billionaire wasted no time jumping into the political fray upon President Trump’s return to the White House, moving at breakneck speed to carry out the president’s government cost-cutting initiative, dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

As DOGE’s 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’s circle over his increasing influence as a nongovernment employee.

After nearly three months of repeated backlash against Musk and his companies, political strategists say his omnipresence is fading as the dust settles.

“That influence has been reigned in a little bit, whether that is his choice or the White House’s choice, I don’t know but I would guess the White House has put their thumb on the scale a little bit when it comes to Elon,” GOP strategist Brittany Martinez told The Hill.

DOGE’s chainsaw

The first few weeks of DOGE were marked by chaos and confusion as Musk and his low-profile team imposed mass layoffs and program spending cuts across federal agencies to reduce the federal workforce.

“Musk hit the ground running with a vengeance and just went after everything,” said Paul Levinson, a professor of communications and media studies at Fordham University

Shortly into Trump’s second term, Musk appeared in February at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) wielding a chainsaw, which would become a symbol of DOGE.

Musk admitted Wednesday the first few weeks of DOGE were “intense,” adding he spent almost seven days a week at the White House.

The “move fast and break things” approach

© The Hill