Elon Musk's entourage forces drastic move from the government

Elon Musk associates with an interesting cast of characters.

Jun 12, 2025 - 16:14

Elon Musk's entourage forces drastic move from the government

When Elon Musk joined President Donald Trump's White House as the head of the non-governmental Department of Government Efficiency, he did not have to go through the same vetting process as other cabinet members.

Presidential cabinet members must be vetted and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, but "special government employees" like Elon Musk and top economic advisor Peter Navarro do not.

But those roles are also limited in their scope and what they can do for the president.

Musk's time at the White House concluded earlier this month, probably permanently, after the 130 days a presidential advisor is allowed to work for the president in any calendar year expired.

Since then, Musk has done his best to burn every connection he has to Trump and the White House, criticizing his main legislative agenda and even saying that the reason the White House hasn't released the government files on Jefferey Epstein, as was promised during the campaign, is because the president is featured in the report.

Despite the unfettered access Musk and DOGE have to millions of Americans' personal data, he was never vetted.

At least not by this administration.

*Elon Musk no longer thinks that Trump is right about everything.*
Image source: Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Elon Musk surveilled by the Biden administration

Last year, as foreign nationals came to visit Elon Musk at his various properties, U.S. government agents monitored their movements.

In 2022 and 2023, several government agencies, including the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, tracked foreign nationals who visited Musk in an investigation.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, the feds were watching to see if the people visiting Musk from countries in Eastern Europe were trying to influence him.

Of the five companies he runs, SpaceX has access to the most sensitive government data and contracts and has had unprecedented access to top government officials, according to the Journal.

People familiar with America PAC, the political action committee Musk started to help elect Trump, said they had to institute extensive vetting to keep foreigners in Musk's entourage out of their business.

Musk has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022. His contact with foreign nationals has even forced his lawyers to advise him against seeking higher security clearance, according to the report, due to fear that he'd have to explain his relationships or have his clearance revoked entirely.

Elon Musk takes frustrations out on Trump administration

Elon Musk became the first lieutenant to break ranks following his departure from the inner circle of the West Wing.

Last month, Musk made it a point to wear a red hat emblazoned with the words “TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING“ to a cabinet meeting.

The gesture was part of the Trump administration's ritual of having the members say something effusive about the president at the beginning of each cabinet meeting.

However, some distance from the White House seems to have changed Musk's mind about just how effective the president's policies have been in achieving what seems to be Musk's biggest political goal: balancing the budget.

To get his way, Musk has gone full scorched earth, suggesting that the reason the federal government has not released its file on Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted pedophile who befriended some of the world's richest and most powerful people, is because President Trump is featured in the files.

Elon Musk has been taking shots at the White House recently about the "One Big, Beautiful Bill Act" that Trump is currently trying to get through Congress. The bipartisan Congressional Budget Office expects the bill to add between $2.4 trillion and $3.8 trillion to the U.S. deficit over the next decade.