Secretary of State Marco Rubio and billionaire White House advisor Elon Musk clashed during a cabinet meeting on Thursday, with President Donald Trump observing the heated exchange over the level of staffing cuts Rubio had implemented, as reported by The New York Times.
The confrontation unfolded during a meeting where Trump told his cabinet members that they, not Musk, had the final say on staff and policies within their agencies, as reported by Reuters.
According to The New York Times, Musk, who was appointed by Trump to oversee significant cuts in federal bureaucracy, accused Rubio of not firing anyone and resisting Musk’s push for major staff reductions.
Rubio responded by stating that 1,500 employees at the State Department had received “early retirement offers”, as per the report. He sarcastically asked if Musk expected him to hire all those employees just to fire them again for show.
The meeting was convened after complaints about Musk’s harsh operational approach from agency heads, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The White House Legislative Affairs Office has been flooded with calls from frustrated Republican members of Congress, many of whom have faced backlash from voters in their districts.
Trump denied the report on Friday when asked during a press session in the Oval Office.
“There was no clash, I was there, you’re just a troublemaker,” he told a reporter in response to the inquiry.
“Elon and Marco get along well, and they’re both doing a fantastic job,” Trump added. “Marco has done an unbelievable job as Secretary of State. And Elon is a unique guy, and he’s done a fantastic job.”
