President Trump told cabinet secretaries in a high-level meeting Thursday that they alone will oversee staffing decisions at federal agencies, relegating Elon Musk to an advisory role on DOGE policy. The meeting follows widespread criticism over mass layoffs and contentious internal disputes, underscoring tensions between Trump and Musk in Washington.
A person familiar with the situation said that on Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump informed his cabinet members that agency personnel and policy decisions are ultimately made by them and not Elon Musk, Reuters reports.
The source claims that Trump has stated that the billionaire CEO of Tesla and his Department of Government Efficiency will merely serve in an advising capacity. A reliable source indicated that Musk was present and expressed his approval of Trump’s plan to the cabinet.
Agency chiefs had complained to high-ranking White House officials, including chief of staff Susie Wiles, about DOGE’s harsh stance, prompting the meeting to be called. Many Republican lawmakers, especially those who have encountered domestic backlash from angry constituents, have contacted the White House Office of Legislative Affairs in recent days to express their frustration.
Donald Trump stated that, in his opinion, Elon Musk had not moved too quickly with DOGE. Following the discussion, Trump informed reporters in the Oval Office that Musk is instructing everyone on how to save money.
In an interview with reporters outside the Oval Office, Trump stated his desire for both quantitative data and the retention of valuable employees.
The first public attempt by Trump to rein in Musk, who has obtained access to key computer systems, cancelled billions of dollars’ worth of contracts and programs, and executed mass firings, was a message to the heads of Trump’s departments.
On Truth Social, the president shared details from Thursday’s cabinet meeting, stating that he and Musk had productive conversations with the majority of cabinet secretaries.
“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,” Trump said in the post. “We say the ‘scalpel’ rather than the ‘hatchet.'”
Last month, Musk made an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference. He carried a chainsaw onstage, representing his desire to reduce government spending.
Last week, during Trump’s first full cabinet meeting, he let Musk give a speech on DOGE and then asked, “Is anybody unhappy with Elon?” to a mix of applause and snickers. The tone of Thursday’s meeting was very different from that.
Concern and uncertainty have been felt by workers as a result of DOGE’s initiative, which has resulted in the layoff of over 100,000 individuals from the federal workforce of over 2.3 million people.
In certain instances, the government has hurried to reassign crucial employees in fields like avian flu research and nuclear weapons security.
Unions and other advocacy groups have challenged DOGE’s conduct through more than 30 lawsuits.
As an example of the occasional strained relationship between Musk and Trump’s cabinet secretaries, consider the incident in which Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, abruptly demanded that all federal employees submit a weekly report detailing their achievements.
Musk warned on X that silence would be seen as resignation if he did not respond.
Following Musk’s ultimatum, top White House officials were reportedly having trouble containing administration-wide conflicts, according to a Reuters article last week.
Some departments told employees to respond in the email, while others said it was optional. This led to widespread confusion.
Luis Gochoco is a seasoned managing editor and writer with over a decade of experience covering politics, technology, gaming, and entertainment news. With a keen eye for breaking stories and in-depth analysis, he has established himself as a trusted voice in digital journalism. Luis is one of the key forces behind the success of GameNGuide, contributing to 12 million views through engaging and high-traffic content. He also played a pivotal role in generating 8 million views on International Business Times, shaping the platform’s technology and gaming coverage.
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