Donald Trump denies Elon Musk had White House clash with Secretary of State Marco Rubio
Donald Trump has slapped down a reporter after a claim emerged of billionaire Elon Musk clashing with another key member of his administration at the White House. See the video.
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US President Donald Trump shut down talk of a cabinet meeting clash, telling a reporter he was a “troublemaker” for raising it while at an Oval Office press conference.
Mr Trump denied a report that his senior advisor, billionaire Elon Musk, had clashed with Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a recent White House meeting.
According to The New York Times, Musk argued with Rubio and separately with transportation secretary Sean Duffy during a cabinet meeting chaired by Trump on Thursday.
Musk is leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in a drive to slash costs and cut jobs across government departments, reportedly leading to tensions with department heads.
After the meeting, Trump announced that cuts would continue but with a “scalpel” rather than a “hatchet”, implying that he had taken the opportunity to rein Musk in.
After Trump signed an executive order to create the White House Task Force for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the Oval Office, NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez asked him about the reported rift between Musk and Rubio.
“Some details have come out about your cabinet meeting with Elon Musk, and some clashes potentially between Secretary Rubio,” he said.
Trump interrupted, saying: “No clash. I was there — you’re just a troublemaker.”
“And you’re not supposed to be asking that question, because we’re talking about the World Cup.”
“Elon gets along great with Marco, and they’re both doing a fantastic job. There is no clash,” Trump added.
As Gutierrez continued speaking, Trump asked which outlet he was with.
“NBC,” Gutierrez said.
“Ugh, no wonder,” Trump said, turning away. “That’s enough. NBC.”
Trump calls out 'troublemaker' NBC reporter for asking about an alleged 'clash' between Rubio and Musk
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 8, 2025
READ: https://t.co/drQGkPV23upic.twitter.com/DMkBS4luQT
According to the Times report Musk scorned Rubio’s cost-cutting record at the State Department, accusing him of having fired “nobody” in the administration’s first 45 days.
Rubio countered that 1,500 State Department officials had accepted early retirement, and sarcastically asked whether he should hire them back just to sack them again more spectacularly.
In another exchange, transportation secretary Sean Duffy accused DOGE of having tried to sack vital air traffic controllers right as he deals with the aftermath of several plane crashes, prompting Musk to accuse him of a “lie”, again according to the New York Times.
Trump reportedly intervened to halt the argument and suggest that henceforth the controllers be hired from the “geniuses” studying at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Since coming to office, Trump’s administration has sacked or announced the departure of tens of thousands of federal employees in a scorched-earth efficiency drive.
Several US media have reported friction between Musk and senior officials, who accuse his young crew of DOGE officials -- recruited from Silicon Valley -- of exceeding their authority.
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