Elon Musk made a significant impression during the first cabinet meeting of President Donald Trump’s second term on Wednesday, as he discussed the sweeping efforts made by his so-called Department of Government Efficiency to slash government spending. Musk emphasized that his goal was to prevent the U.S. from going bankrupt,
Musk also shared that he had been facing a great deal of backlash and even death threats due to his role in the cuts.
With a sense of humor, Musk revealed a black t-shirt with “Tech Support” emblazoned in large white letters and described his job as providing “humble technical support” to Trump’s administration.
He referred to the cabinet as the “best cabinet ever,” thanking them for their support and dismissing reports that some members were dissatisfied with emails sent to all federal employees, asking them to defend their positions or face termination.
In a moment of levity, Trump addressed the cabinet, asking if anyone had issues with Musk. “Throw them out,” he joked, as cabinet members laughed and applauded. “Some disagree a little bit, but I will tell you for the most part I think everyone’s not only happy, they’re thrilled,” Trump said.
Despite the confusion caused by the DOGE emails, which led government agencies to advise employees to either ignore or downplay the consequences of not responding, Trump maintained that workers who failed to reply were “on the bubble” and at risk of losing their jobs.
Although Musk holds an advisory role and is not an official cabinet member, his influence was evident as he played a prominent part in the meeting. Trump, who has dismissed rumors of conflict over Musk’s influence, reiterated on social media that “ALL CABINET MEMBERS ARE EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH ELON.”
