President Donald Trump has strongly defended Elon Musk’s role in his administration, warning his Cabinet secretaries that they will be removed if they fail to respect the billionaire entrepreneur.
During his first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, February 26, Trump praised Musk’s leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an agency that claims to have saved American taxpayers $65 billion through job cuts and program reductions.
Trump described Musk as “tremendously successful” and commended his sacrifices to lead the agency.
When questioned by the press about reports of dissatisfaction within his Cabinet over Musk’s growing influence, the president was quick to dismiss such concerns.
“Anybody unhappy with Elon? If you are, we’ll throw them out of here,” Trump said, prompting his Cabinet members—including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Attorney General Pam Bondi—to shake their heads in apparent agreement.
The president insisted that his Cabinet has “a lot of respect” for Musk, adding, “Some disagree a little bit, but for the most part, I think everyone is not only happy, they’re thrilled.”
Musk, in turn, heaped praise on Trump’s team, calling it “the best Cabinet ever, literally.”He added, “I do not give false praise. This is an incredible group of people. I don’t think such a talented team has ever been assembled.”
The meeting followed a CNN report that suggested Musk’s management style had begun to irritate some Cabinet members and lawmakers.
According to unnamed sources, tensions escalated after Musk issued a directive requiring all federal employees to submit a weekly email detailing their work activities. The move reportedly blindsided Cabinet officials and Congress, leading to internal frustrations.
A senior White House official, speaking anonymously, told CNN, “A lot of agencies weren’t given a heads-up, which caused some headaches.”
During Tuesday’s press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed concerns about lack of communication, arguing that “nobody was caught off guard.”
When pressed by CNN’s Jeff Zeleny on whether there would be any dialogue about the chain of command within the administration, Leavitt rejected the premise outright.
“The Cabinet secretaries have not said that,” she asserted, dismissing the anonymous reports as likely coming from “career bureaucrats” rather than high-ranking officials.