In a bold statement during his first Cabinet meeting on February 26, President Donald Trump made it clear: any member of his Cabinet who does not respect Elon Musk will be “thrown out.”
The declaration came after Trump praised Musk for his leadership of DOGE, a program believed to have saved taxpayers $65 billion by reducing unnecessary jobs and government programs.
Musk, the South African-born billionaire known for his work with Tesla and SpaceX, received significant praise from the president.
Trump referred to Musk as “tremendously successful” and highlighted the sacrifices Musk made in leading DOGE.
When questioned by the press about reports of discontent among Cabinet members regarding Musk’s influence, Trump quickly dismissed the claims, suggesting any dissatisfaction would be grounds for dismissal.
“Anybody unhappy with Elon?” Trump asked during the meeting. “If you are, we’ll throw them out of here. Anybody unhappy?” Cabinet members, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Attorney General Pam Bondi, all shook their heads in agreement.
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Musk also shared his admiration for the president’s Cabinet, calling it “the best Cabinet ever, literally.” He praised the team’s talents and called on the country to appreciate the leadership in the room.
His words came after reports surfaced on Tuesday, suggesting some Cabinet members were frustrated with Musk’s management style, particularly after he sent out a mandate requiring federal employees to answer the question, “What did you do last week?”
Despite some discontent within the ranks, Trump’s team firmly defended Musk. Press Secretary Leavitt denied that Cabinet members were caught off guard by Musk’s directives and insisted that the Cabinet remains united in support of the president’s decisions.
The situation highlights growing tensions between the executive branch’s traditional operations and Musk’s unconventional approach to managing federal resources.
