Elon Musk\u2019s first 100 days in the White House were filled with twists and turns as the world\u2019s richest person became one of the most influential and contentious figures in Washington in a matter of weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tech billionaire wasted no time jumping into the political fray<\/strong> upon President Trump\u2019s return to the White House, moving at breakneck speed to carry out the president\u2019s government cost-cutting initiative, dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).<\/p>\n\n\n\n As DOGE\u2019s 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\u2019s circle over his increasing influence as a nongovernment employee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After nearly three months of repeated backlash against Musk and his companies, political strategists say his omnipresence is fading <\/strong>as the dust settles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat influence has been reined in<\/strong> a little bit, whether that is his choice or the White House\u2019s choice, I don\u2019t know, but I would guess the White House has put their thumb on the scale a little bit when it comes to Elon,\u201d GOP strategist Brittany Martinez told The Hill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first few weeks of DOGE were marked by chaos and confusion<\/strong> as Musk and his low-profile team imposed mass layoffs and spending cuts across federal agencies to reduce the federal workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMusk hit the ground running <\/strong>with a vengeance and just went after everything,\u201d said Paul Levinson, a professor of communications and media studies at Fordham University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Musk admitted Wednesday<\/u><\/a> the first few weeks of DOGE were \u201cintense,\u201d<\/strong> adding he spent almost seven days a week at the White House. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u201cmove fast and break things<\/strong>\u201d approach mirrored Musk\u2019s leadership<\/u><\/a> in Silicon Valley and his technology companies, where the billionaire and a group of loyal deputies slashed employees and programs he deemed unnecessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n