Cabinet Clashes Prompt Limits on Elon Musk's Influence

President Trump surprised observers yesterday by doing something he had previously shown reluctance to undertake—placing boundaries on Elon Musk's influence in the early weeks of his administration. During a notable cabinet meeting, covered in detail by reporters Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman, confrontation emerged prominently.

Elon Musk openly criticized Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly, accusing him of firing "nobody" and dismissing Rubio as simply "good on TV." Rubio, emboldened by Musk's remarks, pushed back against the billionaire's claims as President Trump observed the exchange unfold.

Additionally, Sean Duffy, former "Real World" star and current Transportation Secretary, intervened earlier in the same meeting. He defended air traffic controllers against attempts by Musk's team to dismiss them, indicating growing frustration within the administration toward Musk's aggressive approach.

This series of confrontations made clear that several cabinet officials were increasingly uncomfortable with Musk’s influence and possible overreach into federal decision-making. Despite President Trump’s public declaration of continued support for Musk’s broader mission, he nonetheless sided with his cabinet secretaries by establishing some constraints.

This episode provided the first clear evidence that President Trump may be open to imposing boundaries on Musk, even though these measures align mostly with how administration legal representatives had previously defined Musk’s scope of authority in court proceedings.