Billionaire Elon Musk, who heads the newly established Department of Government Efficiency, had reportedly clashed with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a White House meeting.
The meeting was chaired by President Donald Trump and attended by his cabinet secretaries was called to discuss Musk's efforts to cut government spending. This came amid complaints from department chiefs regarding aggressive staff layoffs.
The discussion turned ugly with Musk alleging that Rubio failed to lay off enough employees at the state department. "You've fired nobody," the billionaire told Rubio.
However, Rubio pointed out that over 1,500 state department staff have opted for early retirement buyouts. He then clapped back at Musk, asking if the DOGE chief wants him to rehire them so that he can "fire them again for the show".
To this Musk just responded, saying Rubio was "good on TV". But Trump stepped in to defend Rubio, saying he is "doing a great job".
He also had arguments with Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy amid accusations that Musk's DOGE tried to fire air traffic controllers amid staff shortage in the Federal Aviation Administration. The US already saw two airline crashes during the new administration.
**Where Trump stands in the ego clash**
President Trump listened to both sides patiently before stepping in to stop further clashes. He clarified that he supports Musk's team but added that henceforth the cabinet secretaries would be in charge. The DOGE team can still advise them on cost-cutting measures.
Speaking to media at the Oval Office on Friday, Trump went on to deny any clash between Musk and Rubio, adding that the duo got along "great". "There was no clash. I was there. You're just a troublemaker," he told a journalist who asked him about the White House clash.
"Marco has done unbelievably as Secretary of State, and Elon is a unique guy who's done a fantastic job," the president added.
Musk was also seen embarking on the Air Force One with Trump to the president's home in Florida's Mar-a-Lago.