New Delhi:
Hours after reports of tensions between Elon Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a cabinet meeting, US President Donald Trump was asked about the same. Safe to say, he didn’t take it too well, calling the reporter a “troublemaker” for asking him the question.
Trump, accompanied by FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the briefing, rubbished the reports in his trademark style, insisting they got “along fantastically well”, adding there was no clash during the meeting.
When one of the reporters asked about the tensions between the two, Trump responded, “No clash. I was there. You’re just a troublemaker.
“And you’re not supposed to be asking that question because we’re talking about the World Cup. Elon gets along great with Marco, and they’re both doing a fantastic job. There is no clash.”
Next, the president questioned the reporter’s affiliation, asking, “Who are you with?” When the reporter said he was with NBC, Trump rebuffed: “No wonder.”
Another reporter asked, “Sir, just on the Cabinet meeting, you said Musk will play an advisory role.” Trump was quick to respond: “We’re talking about FIFA. Thank you very much.”
He reiterated his support for both Musk and Rubio, saying, “They’re both great guys. And by the way, they both get along fantastically well. Marco has done unbelievably as Secretary of State, and Elon is a very unique guy. He’s done a fantastic job.”
Earlier in the day, The New York Times reported that Musk clashed with senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, during a cabinet meeting chaired by Trump.
According to The Times, Musk accused Rubio of failing to slash his staff, saying, “You have fired nobody.”
Mr Rubio reacted strongly, pointing out that over 1,500 State Department officials had taken early retirement in buyouts, which should be counted as layoffs. He also sarcastically asked if Musk wanted him to rehire those people just to fire them again.
The reported heated exchange also extended to Sean Duffy, who lamented the DOGE’s attempt to lay off air traffic controllers at a time when airline crashes were being reported in the United States.