Elon Musk Attends First Cabinet Meeting of Trump’s Second Term
Donald Trump, the U.S. president, invited Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, to the first cabinet meeting of his second term, where he expressed support for Musk’s initiative to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and push for massive layoffs of federal employees.
According to reports from outlets like the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and New York Times (NYT) on the 26th (local time), Trump hosted the cabinet meeting, which was attended by Senate-confirmed ministers, at the White House. After commencing the meeting with a prayer and touting the achievements of his administration, Trump mentioned Musk just 12 minutes into the meeting.
President Trump jokingly asked attendees, “Does anyone have any complaints about Musk?” provoking laughter in the room. When he added, “If so, I will kick them out,” the laughter and applause grew louder. Although meant as a joke, the NYT pondered whether the crowded room of officials and aides found the situation genuinely amusing.
Trump then asked Musk to say a few words. Musk, donning a cap with “MAGA” (Make America Great Again) printed on it and wearing a black T-shirt reading “Technical Support” under a black jacket, was seated with Steve Miller and Peter Navarro, rather than at the table.
Musk first clarified that he had sent an email to millions of federal employees demanding performance reports with approval from the president. Previously, it was reported that employees at the State and Defense Departments were instructed not to follow Musk’s orders. Coincidentally, Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, and Pete Hegseth, Defense Secretary, were seated next to Trump.
Musk lamented that laying off federal employees was a difficult task, mentioning that he was receiving a lot of criticism and even death threats. He stressed the urgency, stating, “If we don’t do this, America will go bankrupt.”
President Trump chimed in, saying, “Those people (federal employees), who knows what will happen,” suggesting that they might soon be leaving, and added that some who did not respond to the email might not even exist. About 40% of federal employees, approximately one million, responded to the email.
Musk expressed confidence in reducing expenditures by $1 trillion by the 2026 fiscal year, roughly 15% of the U.S. government’s annual spending of about $7 trillion. However, this falls short of the $2 trillion goal mentioned during the presidential campaign. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the U.S. is projected to face a financial deficit of $1.7 trillion by the 2027 fiscal year.
The NYT likened Musk’s presence at the cabinet meeting to “the elephant in the room,” something everyone knows about but avoids discussing due to its discomfort or sensitivity. AFP noted that although Musk is not an official cabinet member but an advisor, his crucial role highlighted his influential status in the Trump administration. A day earlier, the White House announced that the acting administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency was not Musk, but Amy Gleeson.