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By Aila Slisco
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Elon Musk, whom President Donald Trump said was the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), offered an abbreviated description of a Trump Cabinet meeting he attended on Thursday.
Newsweek reached out for comment to X, the Musk-owned social media platform, via email on Thursday.
Why It Matters
Musk and DOGE, tasked with drastically curtailing government spending, have been under fire during the early days of Trump's second term for enacting controversial cost-cutting measures at federal agencies, attempting to access personal information on government databases and initiating mass firings of federal workers.
Read More on Politics
Pushback against Musk, the world's richest man, has come from Democrats and Republicans. Some refer to Musk as the "real" president and argue that his actions amount to an abuse of power by an unelected de facto federal official.
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What To Know
Musk said on X, formerly Twitter, that Thursday's meeting with Trump's Cabinet was "very productive."
Musk's remarks were made while sharing part of a Truth Social post by Trump, who touted DOGE's "incredible success" while describing a "very positive" meeting.
"We just had a meeting with most of the Secretaries, Elon, and others, and it was a very positive one," Trump wrote. "It's very important that we cut levels down to where they should be, but it's also important to keep the best and most productive people. We're going to have these meetings every two weeks until that aspect of this very necessary job is done.
"The relationships between everybody in that room are extraordinary. They all want to get to the exact same place, which is, simply, to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Trump also seemingly hinted at a gentler approach to the firing of federal workers, saying in the post that he had "instructed the Secretaries and Leadership to work with DOGE on Cost Cutting measures and Staffing" but urged them to use "the 'scalpel' rather than the 'hatchet.'"
During an Oval Office press conference after the meeting, Trump expressed a preference for Musk to fire fewer federal workers, telling reporters that he wanted "the Cabinet members to keep good people" and did not "want to see a big cut where a lot of good people are cut."
"Elon and the group are gonna be watching them," he added. "If they can cut, it's better. And if they don't cut, then Elon will do the cutting."
What People Are Saying
Lawyer Norm Eisen, executive chair of the State Democracy Defenders Fund, a group that is suing the Trump administration over DOGE, in a statement to Newsweek: "The president is clearly feeling the heat after accidentally speaking the truth to Congress the other night. He made clear that Musk and DOGE have been calling the shots. That's unconstitutional, as we have pointed out in our case.
"Unfortunately, closing the barn door after the horse has bolted does no good. In fact, this attempted backtrack is an admission that the vast chaos that Musk and DOGE have wrought without proper approval and documentation is illegal— and so must be completely unwound."
What Happens Next
Trump expects to hold meetings with Musk and Cabinet members every two weeks for the foreseeable future about DOGE's cost-cutting efforts.
Update 3/6/25, 6:07 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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