Elon Musk is nearing the end of his official role in the Trump administration. President Trump is expected to celebrate Musk’s accomplishments on Friday, praising his work at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but with Musk’s influence at the White House diminishing, some speculate that cracks may be forming in their relationship.

"I am having a Press Conference tomorrow at 1:30 P.M. EST, with Elon Musk, at the Oval Office," Trump posted Thursday. "This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way. Elon is terrific!"

Musk’s government service officially ends on May 30, which marks the legal 130-day limit for his “special government employee” designation. He was appointed in January to lead DOGE, an agency created by executive order on Inauguration Day to cut government waste.

"As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending," Musk posted on X Wednesday. "The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reaffirmed Thursday that “the DOGE leaders are each and every member of the President's Cabinet and the President himself, who is wholeheartedly committed to cutting waste, fraud, and abuse from our government."

According to a May 26 update on DOGE’s official website, the initiative has saved $175 billion through asset sales, contract cancellations, fraud prevention, and other spending cuts—equivalent to about $1,087 in savings per taxpayer.

Still, Musk has recently expressed concerns about what he called the “big and beautiful” spending bill pushed by the Trump administration. “Disappointed to see the massive spending bill, which increases the budget deficit… and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk said in an interview with CBS. “I think a bill can be big, or it can be beautiful. But I don’t know if it can be both. My personal opinion,” he added.

Musk’s departure could also signal the decline of DOGE itself, as many viewed the billionaire as the driving force behind the agency. "It'll just die a whimper," said Lavingia, who was fired from DOGE earlier this month, in an interview with Reuters. "So much of the appeal and allure was Elon. I expect DOGE staffers to just stop showing up to work. It's like kids joining a startup that will go out of business in four months."

These developments are fueling speculation about a growing rift between Musk and Trump. The CEO of SpaceX, tesla, and xAI has said he is now “back to spending 24/7 at work and sleeping in conference/server/factory rooms,” dividing his time between Tesla, SpaceX, and his social media platform X.

On an investor call earlier this month, Musk reassured shareholders, “Starting in June, I’ll be allocating far more time to Tesla and SpaceX now that the groundwork at DOGE is in place.” He also noted that he would still spend “a day or two per week” on government-related work until the end of Trump’s term.