The White House's failed Elon Musk experiment ends with a whimper, not a bang.

The White House’s failed Elon Musk experiment ends with a whimper, not a bang. His departure came immediately on the heels of Musk expressing public disappointment with the Republican Party’s inaptly named “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” despite the president’s obsessive efforts to rally public and partisan support for the far-right legislation. It’s easy to make the case that Musk’s tenure was, among other things, enormously consequential. The Republican megadonor and the DOGE operation he helped lead leave behind a legacy of shattered institutions, weakened public services, and fired civil servants who did nothing but serve their country well. The damage Musk did from his powerful position made people’s lives worse — both in the United States and abroad. But as important as those truths are, it’s equally easy to conclude that Musk represents a failed experiment in governing. Amid all the hype and tumult, it’s easy to lose sight of the billionaire’s original remit: Trump tasked Musk with leading an effort to cut spending and make the federal government more efficient. As Musk slinks away, the facts prove that government spending went up, not down, during his tenure, and his DOGE endeavor made the government less efficient, not more.