RT.com
08 Mar 2025, 20:54 GMT+10
The two allies of US President Donald Trump have clashed over accusations that the secretary of state is failing to cut staff, the paper claims
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), engaged in a heated argument during a White House cabinet meeting, the New York Times claimed on Friday. The reported clash erupted after Musk accused Rubio of failing to make enough staff cuts in his department, while Rubio was furious with the tech billionaire over his crusade against the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
According to the paper's sources, the "extraordinary" cabinet meeting took place on Thursday behind closed doors and in front of President Donald Trump and around 20 senior officials. Musk, seated across from Rubio, accused him of not slashing staff, saying: "You have fired nobody." Musk suggested that perhaps the only person Rubio dismissed was a member of the DOGE staff.
Rubio reportedly pushed back sharply, arguing that more than 1,500 State Department employees had already accepted early retirement buyouts. He asked Musk if he expects him to rehire and fire them again just to create the appearance of deeper cuts, before outlining his restructuring plans for the department, according to the report.
The NYT also claimed that Rubio's anger has been simmering for weeks due to Musk's campaign which effectively shut down USAID, Washington's primary agency for funding political projects abroad, which was transferred under his purview. The tech billionaire has accused the agency of inefficiency and rampant corruption.
However, Musk was reportedly unimpressed, dismissing Rubio as just being "good on TV." As the argument dragged on, Trump eventually intervened, saying the secretary of state is doing a "great job" and urging them to work together, the paper claimed.
The clash could be the first major sign that Trump is seeking to reign in Musk's authority, the New York Times said, adding that while senior officials generally support the campaign to reduce waste within the government, they have been frustrated with the billionaire's "chain saw approach."
Just before the argument with Rubio, Musk also sparred with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over funding and staffing for air traffic control systems, with Trump also intervening to defuse the tensions.
READ MORE: Starlink not allowed in South Africa because Im not black Musk
Trump has denied any conflict, telling reporters there is "no clash" between Musk and Rubio and calling the NBC journalist who asked the question a "troublemaker."
"Elon gets along great with Marco and they're both doing a fantastic job," Trump said.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Russia Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Russia Herald.
More InformationRIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil: At a two-day summit over the weekend, the BRICS bloc of emerging economies issued a joint declaration condemning...
LONDON, U.K.: This week, BP appointed Simon Henry, former Shell finance chief, to its board as a non-executive director effective September...
OTTAWA, Canada: With Canada Post struggling to maintain operations amid labour unrest, rivals like FedEx and UPS are stepping in to...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. and global markets showed a mixed performance in Tuesday's trading session, with some indices edging higher...
PARIS, France: French military and intelligence officials have accused China of orchestrating a covert campaign to damage the reputation...
NEW DELHI, India: Birkenstock is stepping up its efforts to protect its iconic sandals in India, as local legal representatives conducted...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: With just weeks to spare before a potential government default, U.S. lawmakers passed a sweeping tax and spending...
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has cited two wars and a trade dispute as the reason for his delay Italian Foreign Minister...
The US President has said he will have to take a look at a Ukrainian request for another unit of the US-made air defense system US...
By Sahil Pandey New Delhi [India], July 9 (ANI): Iran's Ambassador to India, Iraj Elahi, on Wednesday urged India to play a more...
New Delhi [India], July 9 (ANI): Around 10 Central Trade Unions associated with left-aligned parties, representing over 25 crore Indian...
GAZA, July 9 (Xinhua) -- On the dusty floor of a makeshift tent in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, 10-year-old Sara al-Borsh...