Elon Musk says he became too deeply involved in politics during his alliance with President Donald Trump and now believes he should have spent more of that time running his companies.
“I got carried away, frankly,” Musk said in a July 2026 interview with The Economist when asked whether he regretted becoming so involved in politics. He was referring to his work with the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and his broader political engagement during Trump’s second term.
Musk had become one of Trump’s most prominent supporters after contributing about $200 million to help Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. He later joined the administration as the public face of DOGE, a government cost-cutting initiative.
His political role came with a personal and business cost, according to Musk’s own later comments. In December 2025, he said he would have preferred to focus on his companies rather than lead DOGE. “I think instead of doing DOGE, I would have basically worked on my companies,” he said.
Musk also acknowledged that his political activity generated a backlash against Tesla. Reuters reported that he said his involvement with DOGE and his political rhetoric contributed to protests and vandalism targeting Tesla vehicles.
His comments do not amount to a withdrawal from politics. In the same Economist interview, Musk continued to express strong views on immigration, European politics and the war in Ukraine. He also argued that his political involvement had given him a larger public platform and influence.
The main reason Musk has given for his regret is therefore relatively straightforward: he believes the time and attention devoted to Washington could have been spent on Tesla, SpaceX and his other technology ventures.
At the same time, Musk has not indicated that he intends to stop commenting on politics. His July interview showed that he remains politically outspoken even as he says he became too involved in the political world.
