WASHINGTON — During the inaugural Cabinet meeting of President Donald Trump’s new term on Wednesday, Elon Musk took center stage, donning a black “Make America Great Again” campaign hat. He addressed the room as a self-proclaimed “humble tech support” for the federal government and emphasized the critical importance of his cost-reduction initiatives. “If we don’t do this, America will go bankrupt,” Musk asserted to the Cabinet members gathered around the expansive wooden table in the Cabinet Room.
Allowing Musk the floor for a “brief summary” of the progress made by the Department of Government Efficiency, Trump, who typically prefers the spotlight, seemed pleased to step back. Musk’s team had reportedly uncovered numerous inefficiencies within the government. “He’s sacrificing a lot,” Trump remarked about Musk, acknowledging the vast amount of time the billionaire dedicates to this endeavor, despite his other business pursuits. “He’s also getting hit,” he added.
Musk discussed the personal risks involved in rapidly overhauling the government, noting even receiving death threats. He humorously knocked on his head, jesting that he hoped to identify $1 trillion in budget cuts. These efforts have disrupted federal employees and those dependent on their services. He defended his weekend proposal for federal workers to account for their weekly activities under threat of job loss. Though the approach was controversial, especially concerning national security and privacy, Musk described it as a “pulse check” to verify government employees have “a pulse and two neurons.” He stressed this was not a high threshold to achieve.
Musk also speculated about the existence of non-existent or deceased employees, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that all government personnel are real and capable of “writing an email.” When asked about the Cabinet’s satisfaction with Musk’s role, he began to respond before Trump interceded, suggesting Cabinet members should speak for themselves. Trump joked that dissenters might “get thrown out,” earning applause from the audience.
Resuming his focus on Musk, Trump lauded his selection of Cabinet members, with Musk proclaiming, “you put together, I think, the best Cabinet ever,” maintaining he doesn’t give false praise. While Musk acknowledged potential slip-ups from his zeal to slash spending, he mentioned that while attempting to reduce the size of the U.S. Agency for International Development, they inadvertently curtailed Ebola prevention services temporarily. Despite his assurance of no service interruption, a USAID official disclosed that no Ebola response funds had been disbursed amidst Trump’s foreign aid freeze, including anti-virus efforts.
Following roughly 15 minutes spotlighting Musk and DOGE, Trump redirected attention to his early-term accomplishments. Cabinet members largely remained silent for over an hour as Trump fielded questions from invited reporters. When queried about his expectation for unconditional compliance from his Cabinet, Trump first mocked the inquiry before affirming, “of course, no exceptions.”
