To call Kasturi’s DC tenure controversial would be an understatement. As a man accustomed to getting his way and acting as a powerful executive, he swept through Washington on a symbolic chainsaw, cutting budgets, firing workers, and seizing heroic lightning. Musk’s brash behavior angered and alienated government employees, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Eventually, the bad blood reached a fever pitch, and Musk got into a minor physical altercation with Treasury Secretary Scott Besant.
Politico Amazing result details. By late May, Dodge and Musk had lost favor with President Trump, and White House aides began pushing back more forcefully against the fledgling government agency. When Musk was officially bid farewell by the White House on May 30, he also pushed his right-hand man, Steve Davis.
But Davis, an engineer who had worked closely with Musk for more than 20 years, including at Dodge, refused to let go easily. He stepped up to try and take the reins, but that didn’t sit well with many of the rest of the Dodge crew. But others remained loyal, essentially splitting the department in two.
When those uncomfortable with Davis’ leadership, seeing that he was no longer a public servant, tried to plan for Dodge’s future without him, Davis accused them of mutiny. The White House quickly uprooted its loyalists, ending Davis’ brief attempt to consolidate control in less than two weeks.
What followed was a series of reorganizations, changes in leadership, and ultimately, the demise of Doge as a centralized organization. when Reuters Reached the White House earlier this month to ask about Dodge’s status, was told, “It doesn’t exist.”
Musk rode into Washington with big ambitions to cut trillions of dollars in government spending. Instead, during his short time in D.C., government spending actually increased, leaving many burned bridges behind.
