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President Donald Trump insisted billionaire cost-cutting czar Elon Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio get along with each other Friday, denying a report by The New York Times that detailed a supposed argument between Musk and Rubio—among the first known clashes over Musk’s vast influence in the Trump administration.
The NYT report was published Friday. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Key Facts
Trump insisted to reporters there was “no clash” between Musk and Rubio, calling the NBC reporter who inquired about the argument a “troublemaker.”
“Elon gets along great with Marco and they’re both doing a fantastic job,” Trump said, again denying a blowup between Musk—who leads the Department of Government Efficiency—and the secretary of state.
The Times reported Musk and Marco clashed during a Cabinet Room meeting Thursday in front of about 20 others including Trump, with Musk accusing Rubio of failing to lay off staff as part of a larger DOGE effort to reduce the size of the federal workforce.
Rubio said Musk was not being truthful, the Times reported, asking Musk why State Department officials who took early retirements instead of buyouts did not count as layoffs.
Rubio also reportedly asked Musk sarcastically if he should rehire the officials just to fire them again—possibly a reference to a wave of rehires the Trump administration has made for federal workers initially cut by DOGE.
The president ultimately defended Rubio after the back-and-forth, according to the Times, saying he’s done a “great job” and declaring the Cabinet secretaries are in charge of cost-cuts, with Musk playing more of an advisory role.
Trump, who reportedly watched the spat quietly, told reporters Friday, “I was there,” adding that Musk and Rubio “get along fantastically well.”
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Crucial Quote
“Marco has done unbelievably as secretary of state, and Elon is a very unique guy who’s done a fantastic job,” Trump said Friday.
Key Background
The spending and workforce cuts at the heart of the supposed blowup between Musk and Rubio have largely affected the United States Agency for International Development, which Rubio leads as acting administrator—as the Trump administration tries to wind down the foreign aid agency and fold some of its functions into Rubio’s State Department. Thousands of employees with the agency were reportedly given very brief windows to clear their office spaces late last month as the Trump administration attempted to fire or place on leave over 5,500 employees and freeze foreign assistance provided by USAID. The Supreme Court has allowed cuts of the agency to temporarily continue as it assesses a challenge against the layoffs. Musk, without providing evidence, has said the humanitarian agency is a “radical-left political psyop.”
Further Reading
Trump Administration Reverses Layoffs At These Federal Agencies—After Cutting Bird Flu, FDA Staff (Forbes)
