President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that Elon Musk, the billionaire tech mogul and a key figure in his administration, will be stepping back from his current role in the coming weeks. The announcement, made during a brief Oval Office address, marks a significant shift in the dynamic between Trump and Musk, whose partnership has been a cornerstone of the administration’s early months. The move has also sparked speculation about Musk’s future influence and the trajectory of Trump’s ambitious government overhaul. “Elon’s done a fantastic job—tremendous, really—but he’s going to step back in the coming weeks,” Trump said, flanked by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. “He’s a busy guy, a genius, and he’s got Tesla, SpaceX, all these great companies to run. We’ve got a great team in place now, and he’s set us up beautifully.” Trump offered no specific timeline beyond “weeks” and declined to elaborate on whether Musk’s departure was voluntary or prompted by internal pressures. Musk has served as the public face of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a controversial advisory body tasked with slashing federal spending and bureaucracy. Since Trump’s January 20 inauguration, Musk has wielded unprecedented influence, orchestrating mass layoffs, freezing billions in grants, and pushing a “slash-first, fix-later” approach that mirrored his corporate playbook at Twitter and Tesla. His tenure, however, has been mired in legal challenges, with federal judges halting some DOGE actions, and growing unease among GOP lawmakers over his outsized role. The announcement follows a Cabinet meeting where Trump reportedly reined in Musk, clarifying that Cabinet secretaries—not Musk—hold final authority over cuts, after clashes with figures like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Sources close to the administration suggest mounting friction, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and others urging Trump to prioritize confirmed officials over the unelected billionaire. “Elon’s a visionary, but he’s not the government,” one senior GOP aide told Politico, speaking anonymously. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)