Trump Warns Cabinet Members: Respect Elon Musk or Be ‘Thrown Out’
President Donald Trump has made it clear to his Cabinet secretaries that they will be “thrown out” if they fail to show respect for Elon Musk.
During his first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, February 26, Trump praised Musk’s leadership of DOGE, which he claimed has saved American taxpayers $65 billion by cutting jobs and programs. He described Musk as “tremendously successful” and commended him for making sacrifices to lead the agency.
When asked about reports that some Cabinet members were unhappy with Musk’s influence, Trump dismissed the concerns.
“Let the Cabinet speak for a second,” he said, before asking, “Anybody unhappy with Elon? If you are, we’ll throw them out of here. Anybody unhappy?”
In response, top officials—including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Attorney General Pam Bondi—quickly shook their heads. Trump added that his Cabinet has “a lot of respect” for Musk, acknowledging that while some may have minor disagreements, “for the most part, everyone is not only happy—they’re thrilled.”
Musk, in turn, praised Trump’s Cabinet, calling it “the best ever, literally.”
“I do not give false praise. This is an incredible group of people. I don’t think such a talented team has ever been assembled. The country should be appreciative of the people in this room,” Musk said.
Reports of Internal Tensions
Despite Trump’s remarks, CNN reported on Tuesday that Musk’s leadership style has caused friction among Cabinet members and members of Congress, citing anonymous sources.
Tensions escalated when Musk issued a directive requiring all federal employees to submit a weekly email answering the question, “What did you do last week?” Cabinet officials and Congress were not given advance notice, and the mandate reportedly included a threat of termination for non-compliance.
A senior White House official, speaking anonymously to CNN, claimed, “A lot of agencies weren’t given a heads-up, which caused some headaches.”
However, during a press briefing on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that “nobody was caught off guard.”
When questioned about potential tensions, Leavitt dismissed the reports, suggesting that “anonymous sources, probably career bureaucrats,” were behind the claims. She emphasized that “everyone is working as one team,” and that the president respects his Cabinet secretaries’ discretion in handling the directive.
“It’s pretty common sense,” she concluded.
