MAGA supporters are defending the appearance of unelected Elon Musk at Donald Trump‘s first Cabinet meeting by likening his status to first lady Jill Biden, who also sat in with the president.
Trump was met with laughter and applause Wednesday when he asked Cabinet members: “Is anybody unhappy with Elon? If you are, we’ll throw him out of here.”
But the billionaire’s appearance at the high-level government meeting sparked uproar from some of his opponents on social media.
Why It Matters
The criticism over Musk’s appearance comes amid concerns about how much power and influence the unelected tech billionaire has in how the country is run. Musk’s advisory Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has already gained access to the internal data of government agencies, including the Labor Department, U.S. Treasury, Office of Personnel Management, General Services Administration, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Small Business Administration and more.
Cabinet meetings are gatherings of the President and top executive officials, including the Vice President and heads of federal departments, such as State, Defense, and Treasury, but DOGE is not a federal executive department. The meetings are typically used to discuss policy, coordinate government actions, and advise the President on key issues, and noncabinet individuals may provide expertise or input on policy decisions.
AP
What To Know
Following Musk’s Cabinet appearance, former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich said on X: “Trump hosts the first full cabinet meeting of his second term today—with noncabinet member Elon Musk in attendance. It’s yet another reminder of who the wealthiest administration in history actually serves: the billionaire class.”
Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen added: “Elon Musk spent $280 million to elect Donald Trump, and he’s been handed access to government agencies, cabinet meetings, lucrative contracts and Americans’ private information. It’s billionaires rigging the game for billionaires—the most corrupt bargain in American history.”
But MAGA supporters were quick to point out that appearances at such meetings by noncabinet officials are not unprecedented, and Trump supporters posted videos of Jill Biden’s appearance at one of her husband’s Cabinet meetings.
“Democrats: “Nobody elected Elon Musk!” Here’s a photo of Jill Biden in a cabinet meeting. Democrats, who elected Jill Biden?” one X account wrote.
Jill Biden’s Cabinet Meeting
In September, the former first lady sat at the head of the table at a Cabinet meeting to speak about a White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. The president traditionally sits at the center of the table with Cabinet members seated in order of the founding of their departments. Former first lady Hillary Clinton also attended a Cabinet meeting during her husband Bill Clinton‘s term.
The New York Post reported that Ms Biden “read from a binder about maternal health initiatives for four-and-a-half minutes after her husband spoke for just two minutes off the top of the meeting.”
The president explained Jill Biden’s presence, saying, “Here and across previous administrations, first ladies have attended these meetings for specific reasons. This is the first time Jill has joined us, and it goes to show how important the issue is, which she is about to speak to.”
The Backlash: Who Is Running The Country?
At the time, Jill Biden’s appearance prompted outcry on social media. Former adviser to Trump, Steve Cortes, wrote on X: “Wow. A visibly exhausted Joe Biden just held a full Cabinet meeting for the first time in 11 months and immediately turned the mic over to his wife, Jill.” He went on to ask, “Who is running the country?”
Podcaster Tim Young added: “Jill Biden is the head of the table at the cabinet meeting. No one voted for her to be there … this must be part of her deal to have Joe drop out of the race. She has no reason to be there.”
The cofounder of The Federalist, Sean Davis, sarcastically quipped, “I wasn’t aware that our constitutional system of government bestowed any power whatsoever to the unelected wife of the figurehead president.”
The Response
In defense against the criticism, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates told Fox News Digital at the time: “Before President Biden updated his cabinet and the country on the continued achievements of the most successful administration in modern history, he asked the first lady to join for the top of the meeting to showcase groundbreaking work they are leading to fundamentally change how we fund and approach women’s health research.
“If the only response these critics have are conspiracy theories that devalue historic progress researching women’s health—including terrible diseases—then that says a lot about why more and more American women feel that the right couldn’t care less about them, including as it pushes radical abortion bans.”
What People Are Saying
Trump wrote on Truth Social: “ALL CABINET MEMBERS ARE EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH ELON. The Media will see that at the Cabinet Meeting this morning!!!”
Ian Jaeger, who described himself as a “political commentator,” said on X: “Democrats: “Nobody elected Elon Musk!” Here’s a photo of Jill Biden in a cabinet meeting. Democrats, who elected Jill Biden?”
The Media Research Center said on X: “The Leftist Media:@elonmusk can’t be in a Cabinet meeting he’s unelected. Also The Leftist Media: Isn’t it wonderful Jill Biden is leading this Cabinet meeting.”
The First channel said on X: “For all the liberals upset about Elon ATTENDING a Cabinet meeting, here’s Jill Biden RUNNING a Cabinet meeting while her impaired husband stares into space.”
X account Clyp Keeper said on X: “Kevin McCarthy said when he was speaker & met with Biden in the Oval Office that Jill Biden was there. Hunter Biden also would attend meetings with Joe Biden. The media pretended this was fine. Elon Musk is attending Trump’s cabinet meeting & the media is unhinged.”
What Happens Next
It is not clear if Musk will attend Cabinet meetings in the future.