South Africa-born Elon Musk starred at Donald Trump’s first cupboard assembly on Wednesday, with the US president insisting his crew was “thrilled” with the extraordinary energy given to his billionaire advisor regardless of reported tensions over his sweeping authorities cuts.
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Trump requested tech tycoon Musk, who was carrying a black “Make America Great Again” baseball cap, to face up and speak in regards to the controversial programme of his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“If we don’t do this, America will go bankrupt,” the world’s richest man informed cupboard members on the White House, including that he was “taking a lot of flak, and getting a lot of death threats by the way.”
The SpaceX and Tesla tycoon at one level mentioned his job was “humble technical support” for Trump’s authorities – earlier than opening his overcoat to disclose a black t-shirt saying “Tech Support” in massive white letters.
Dismissing US media stories that some cupboard members had expressed frustration over DOGE emails despatched to all federal staff asking them to justify their jobs or be sacked, Elon Musk mentioned it was the “best cabinet ever” and thanked them for his or her “support”.
Republican Trump, 78, additionally turned to the highest crew gathered round an enormous wood desk for the primary assembly of his second time period, together with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
‘Throw them out’
“Is anybody unhappy with Elon? If they are we’ll throw them out of here,” Trump mentioned, to laughter and applause from the cupboard members.
“Some disagree a little bit, but I will tell you for the most part I think everyone’s not only happy, they’re thrilled.”
The DOGE emails have brought on confusion throughout Washington, with authorities departments on Monday largely telling informed employees to both ignore them or downplayed the dangers of not answering it.
Trump insisted nonetheless that staff who didn’t reply have been “on the bubble” and risked dropping their positions.
The star function given to Elon Musk, who’s formally an advisor not a cupboard member, underscored his standing as essentially the most highly effective particular person in Trump’s internal circle.
Trump had earlier downplayed stories of tensions over his dominance, posting on his social media platform Truth Social: “ALL CABINET MEMBERS ARE EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH ELON.”
The assembly – and an hour-long query and reply session with media introduced in below new White House guidelines controlling which reporters get entry to Trump – was extra broadly an opportunity for him to tout a dramatic begin to his second time period.
Trump proclaimed progress on negotiations to finish Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was set to go to the White House on Friday to signal a deal giving Washington entry to Kyiv’s uncommon minerals.
Trump has alarmed allies by beginning direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He additionally revealed that he was set to impose 25 p.c tariffs on many imports from key ally Europe – and proclaimed that the “European Union was created to screw the United States.”
Controversial aides
During the assembly Trump was flanked by aides brazenly chosen in lots of instances for his or her lavish declarations of loyalty – and for his or her dedication to usher in the Musk-led cuts, together with Trump’s crackdown on range.
Many of those high figures have been efficiently confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate regardless of unusually intensive questions over their expertise or conduct.
Among essentially the most contentious are Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a famous vaccine skeptic, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who has a historical past of backing Kremlin speaking factors, and Hegseth, a former Fox News host who has confronted allegations of sexual assault.
And in a scenario with no actual parallel in fashionable US historical past, all of those highly effective officers are overshadowed by Elon Musk, who helped bankroll Trump’s 2024 presidential marketing campaign to the tune of 1 / 4 of a billion {dollars}.
While labeled as a mere “special government employee” and “senior adviser to the president,” the South African-born magnate is seen extra usually at Trump’s aspect than Vice President JD Vance and even First Lady Melania Trump.
As proprietor of the X social media platform and a key chief within the US house programme, his affect percolates via nearly each nook of present Washington politics.
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