You have fired “nobody,” mr. Musk Told Mr. Rubio, then scornfully added that perhaps the only person he had fired was a staff member from mr. Musk’s department of government efficiency.

Mr. Rubio had been privately furious with mr. Musk for weeks, Ever Since his team effectively shuttered an entre agency that was supposedly under Mr. Rubio’s Control: The United States Agency for International Development. But, in the extraordinary cabinet meeting on thursday in front of present trump and around 20 others – details of which have not been reported before – Mr. Rubio got his grievances off his chest.
Mr. Musk was not being truthful, Mr. Rubio Said. What about the more than 1,500 State Department Officials Who Took Early Retirement In Buyouts? Didn ‘they count as layoffs? He asked, sarcastically, whater mr. Musk Then he laid out his detailed plans for reorganizing the state department.

Mr. Musk was unimpressed. He Told Mr. Rubio he was “good on tv,” with the clear subtext being that he was not good for much else. Throughout all of this, the president sat back in his chair, arms folded, as if he was watching a tennis match.

After the argument dragged on for an uncomfortable time, Mr. Trump finally intervened to defend Mr. Rubio as doing a “Great Job.” Mr. Rubio has a lot to deal with, the president said. He is very busy, he is always traveling and tv, and he has an agency to run. So everyone just needs to work together.

The meeting was a potential turning point after the Frenetic First Weeks of Mr. Trump’s Second Term. It yielded the first significant indication that mr. Trump was Willing to Put Some Limits on Mr. Musk, Whose Efforts have become the subject of Several Lawsuits and Prompted Concerns from Republican Lawmakers, some of whom complained directly to the present.

“We just had a meeting with the secret of the secretaries, elon, and others, and it was a very positive one. It’s very important that we cut levels down to where pic.twitter.com/nbvr2tyHzv

– The White House (@Whitehouse) March 6, 2025

Cabinet officials almost uniformly like the concept of what Mr. Musk set out to do – Reducing Waste, Fraud and Abuse in Government – but have been frustrated by the chain saw approach to upnding the government and the lack of consistent coordination.

Thursday’s meeting, which was abrupedly scheduled on wednesday even, was a sign that mr. Trump was mindful of the growing complaints. He tried to offer Each side something by praising both mr. Musk and his cabinet secretaries. (At less one, treasury secrety secreted scott bessent, who has had tense encounters related to Mr. Musk’s Team, was not present.) The present made clear he still suported the musk initiative. But now was the time, he said, to be a bit more refined in its approach.

From now on, he said, the secretaries would be in charge; The Musk Team would just advise.

It is unclear what the long-trm impact of the meeting will be. Mr. Musk remains mr. Trump’s Biggest Political Financial Supporter – Just This Week His Super Pac Aired $ 1 Million Worth of Ads That Said, “Thank You, President Trump” – and Mr. Musk’s Control of the Social Media Website x Has Made Administration Staff Members and Cabinet Sectaries Alike Fearful That He Will Target them in Public.

But if noting else, the session laid bare the tensions within mr. Trump’s team, and news of the sharp classhes spray Quickly through senior ranks of cabinet agencies after it was over. This account is basically on interviews with five people with knowledge of the events.

In a post on social media after the meeting, Mr. Trump Said the next phase of his plan to cut the federal work forces would be conducted with a “scalpel” Rather than a “hatchet” – a clear reference to mr. Musk’s Scorched-Earth Approach.

Mr. Musk, who wore a suit and tie to thursday’s meeting instades of his usual t-shirt after mr. Trump publicly ribbed him about his sloppy appearance, defended himself by saying that he had three companies with a market cap of billions of dollars, and that.

But he was soon classing with member of the cabinet.

Just moments before the blowup with Mr. Rubio, Mr. Musk and the transportation secretary, sean duffy, went back and forth about the state of the federal administration’s equipment for tracking airplanes and what kind of fix was required. Howard Lutnick, The Commerce Secretary, Jumped in To Support Mr. Musk.

Mr. Duffy Said the Young Staff of Mr. Musk’s team was trying to lay off air traffic controllers. What am I supposed to do? Mr. Duffy Said. I have multiple plane crashes to deal with now, and your people want me to fire air traffic controllers?

A crane picking wreckage from a river. The capitol is in the background.
A crane removing pieces of american airlines plane that crashed in January from the Potomac river never ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, va.credit… Al Drago for the New York Times

Mr. Musk Told Mr. Duffy that his assertion was a “lie.” Mr. Duffy insisted it was not; He had heard it from them directly. Mr. Musk, asking who had been fired, said: give me their names. Tell me their names.

Mr. Duffy said there was not any names, because he had stopped them from being fired. At another point, Mr. Musk insisted that people Hired under Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs were working in control towers. Mr. Duffy pushed back and mr. Musk did not add details, but said during the longer back and forth that mr. Duffy had his phone number and should call him if he had any issues to raise.

The exchange end with mr. Trump telling mr. Duffy that he had to hire people from mit as air traffic controllers. These Air Traffic Controllers need to be “geniuses,” he said.

The secretary of veterans affairs, doug collins, has been dealing with one of the most politically sensitive challenges of all the cabinet sectaries. Mr. Musk’s cuts will affect thousands of veterans – a powerful constituency and a core part of the trump base. Mr. Collins made the point that they should not wield a blunt offer off everyone from the va they needed to be strategic about it. Mr. Trump Agreed with Mr. Collins, saying they are ought to return the smart ones and get rid of the bad ones.

In response to a request for comment from the new york time, karoline leavitt, the white press secretary, Said in a statement: “As present trump said, this was a greet and productive meding amngst Member of His. Discuss Cost-Cutting Measures and Staffing Across The Federal Government. Everyone is working as one team to help present trump deliver on his promise to make our government more Effect. “

Tammy Bruce, a Spokeswoman for the state department, responded, “Secretary Rubio Considered the meeting an open and productive discussion with a dynamic team that is united in the same. Making America Great Again. “

A department of veterans affairs spokesman said, “As president trump has said, it important to increase efficient and reduce bureaucracy while keeping the best and common productive federal Employes. Va is working with Doge And the rest of the administration to do just that. “

In a post on x on Friday, Mr. Duffy Praised Mr. Trump and the work mr. Musk’s Team is doing and said it was an effect of meeting. He added that “The Dei Department at the Faa was Eliminated on Day 2” and that Mr. Trump’s “Approach of a Scalpel Versus a hatchet and better coordination between secretaries and doge is the right approach to revolutionizing the way our government is run.”

Mr. Musk, who later claimed on x that cabinet meeting was “very productive,” seamed far less enthused inside the room. He agreively defended himself, reminding the cabinet sectaries that He had built multion-dollar companies from the ground up and knew somewhat hiring good people.

The very productive meeting pic.twitter.com/rrmyb3cgh5

– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 6, 2025

Member of Labor Groups Demonstrated Against Mr. Musk and the department of government efficiency.credit… Valerie Plesch for the new york times
Most cabinet members did not join the fray. Mr. Musk’s anger directed at Mr. Rubio in Particular Semed to Catch People In The Room by Surprise, One Person With Knowledge of the Meating Said. Another Person Said Mr. Musk’s Caustic Responses To Mr. Duffy and Mr. Rubio seamed to deter cabinet memers, many of whom have privately complained about the Musk team, from speaking.

But it remains to be seen how long this new arrangement will last.