Trump tells Cabinet members that they’re in charge, not Musk: Sources

President Donald Trump convened a Cupboard-level assembly Thursday morning to inform the heads of the businesses that they’re answerable for the businesses and departments they oversee — not Elon Musk, a number of sources aware of the matter informed ABC Information.

Musk was within the room for the assembly when Trump informed prime officers that Musk’s function is to make suggestions and never unilateral choices — whether or not or not it’s about staffing choices or coverage issues, the sources stated.

Musk posted on X that the assembly was “very productive.”

The assembly comes as his personal Cupboard secretaries have privately expressed frustration about Musk and the mandates he has been giving which have precipitated mass confusion among the many federal workforce.

Regardless of not being a member of the Cupboard, Musk has outsized affect within the administration as he oversees the Division of Authorities Effectivity’s work to cut back the scale and scope of the federal government. Musk attended Trump’s first Cabinet meeting — at occasions taking middle stage.

Musk ruffled feathers when he posted on X final month that every one federal workers would obtain an e mail demanding particulars of their work from the previous week — a transfer that caught some within the Trump administration off guard and precipitated widespread confusion, sources told ABC News. It created stress amongst members of Trump’s Cupboard, as a number of company heads informed their workers to carry off on replying till they themselves have been briefed on the state of affairs.

By way of DOGE, Musk has overseen cuts of 1000’s of federal authorities workers. Lately, DOGE claimed a total government savings of $105 billion — although the determine stays unverifiable.

Trump mentioned the Cupboard assembly Thursday afternoon after he signed an executive order that paused tariffs on Canada and Mexico. He stated it was a “actually good assembly” that targeted on “reducing.”

He stated he instructed his Cupboard members to “go first” and take a look at the individuals they’ll minimize in their very own businesses, however “hold the nice individuals.”

“Maintain all of the individuals you need, all people that you simply want, and it could be higher in the event that they have been there for 2 years as an alternative of two weeks, as a result of in two years they will know the individuals higher,” Trump stated. “However I would like them to do the most effective job they’ll. When we’ve good individuals … that is treasured, that is essential. And we wish them to maintain the nice individuals.”

Nonetheless, he stated he warned the Cupboard members that in the event that they did not make mandatory cuts to cut back “bloat” within the federal authorities, Musk and DOGE would take over.

“We’ll be watching them, and Elon and the group, we’ll be watching them,” Trump stated. “And if they’ll minimize, it is higher. And if they do not minimize, then Elon will do the reducing.”