President Donald Trump was asked about a reported fiery meeting held by some of his Cabinet secretaries and billionaire Elon Musk, saying accounts of a “clash” involving the world’s richest man and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were not true.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Since his inauguration on January 20, Trump has implemented sweeping change in his second term via executive orders, his Cabinet choices and launching the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Trump first selected Musk to direct DOGE, but his administration afterward said in legal documents that the Tesla CEO does not run the department. In his address to Congress on Tuesday, Trump again said that Musk does run DOGE. The task force was designed to snuff out financial waste and abuse in the federal government, according to the White House.
What To Know
The New York Times reported that during an “abruptly” scheduled meeting on Thursday involving Trump, some Cabinet members and Musk, Rubio and Musk tangled in a heated back-and-forth.
Musk reportedly accused Rubio of not firing enough of his staff, to which the secretary of state responded by pointing to the more than 1,500 staffers who accepted buyouts. Musk said that Rubio is “good on TV,” the Times reports, largely insinuating that Rubio is just a figure for the department.
The reported sparring took place in front of the president for some time before Trump came to Rubio’s defense, saying that he was doing a “great job.”
Trump was asked about the Times report on Friday in the Oval Office. “No clash. I was there. You’re just a troublemaker,” Trump replied to a reporter. “And you’re not supposed to be asking that question because we’re talking about the World Cup.”
“Elon gets along great with Marco,” the president said. “And they’re both doing a fantastic job. There is no clash.”
The Times also reported that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Musk wrangled over air traffic controllers.
What People Are Saying
Charlie Kirk, founder and CEO of conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA posted to X on Friday: “President Trump SLAMS an NBC reporter for ginning up the ‘clash’ between Elon and Marco Rubio story: ‘No clash. I was there. You’re just a troublemaker’ Musk vs Rubio JD vs Don Jr. Pay attention. MSM wants us divided. Too bad!!”
Musk, on X following Thursday’s meeting: “Very productive meeting”
Trump posted to Truth Social on Thursday about the meeting and more: “The Golden Age of America has just begun! Over the past six weeks, our Administration has delivered on promises like no Administration before it, always putting America First! DOGE has been an incredible success, and now that we have my Cabinet in place, I have instructed the Secretaries and Leadership to work with DOGE on Cost Cutting measures and Staffing. As the Secretaries learn about, and understand, the people working for the various Departments, they can be very precise as to who will remain, and who will go. We say the ‘scalpel’ rather than the ‘hatchet.’ The combination of them, Elon, DOGE, and other great people will be able to do things at a historic level.
We just had a meeting with most of the Secretaries, Elon, and others, and it was a very positive one. It’s very important that we cut levels down to where they should be, but it’s also important to keep the best and most productive people. We’re going to have these meetings every two weeks until that aspect of this very necessary job is done. The relationships between everybody in that room are extraordinary. They all want to get to the exact same place, which is, simply, to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts posted to X on Friday: “Elon Musk and Donald Trump are trying to make you believe that they are cutting ‘waste,’ but they’re actually reaching into your wallet to fund tax cuts for their ‘rich as hell’ friends. Spread the word.”
What Happens Next
It is immediately unclear how Musk’s working relationship will develop over time with Trump’s Cabinet, as the secretaries have been instructed to work alongside him and the DOGE team.