A dispute between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and billionaire White House adviser Elon Musk erupted during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, according to The New York Times.
The confrontation, which unfolded while President Donald Trump observed the meeting, centered on the level of staff cuts carried out at the State Department.
The meeting was reportedly convened in response to complaints from agency heads and senior White House officials about the blunt-force approach employed by Musk’s operation to streamline the federal bureaucracy. Trump was said to have reminded Cabinet members that they, rather than Musk, have the final say on staffing and policy within their agencies.
According to the report, Musk accused Rubio of firing “nobody” and resisting his push for significant staff reductions. Rubio countered by noting that approximately 1,500 State Department employees had accepted early retirement buyouts. In a pointed remark, Rubio sarcastically questioned whether Musk wanted him to rehire all those employees only to fire them again.
The dispute comes amid ongoing debates over the best approach to reducing federal bureaucracy, with Musk assigned by Trump to implement large-scale staffing cuts. However, agency leaders and members of Congress have expressed concern over the potential impact of such measures, prompting the Cabinet meeting that led to the reported clash.
When asked about the incident on Friday, President Trump denied any clash. “No clash, I was there, you’re just a troublemaker,” he told a reporter. He added that both Rubio and Musk are doing a “fantastic job,” commending Rubio’s work as Secretary of State and praising Musk as “a unique guy.”
The incident highlights the growing tensions within the administration over how best to manage federal staffing and policy in the face of evolving political priorities.
Explosive-laden Iranian boats reportedly attacked two fuel tankers in Iraqi waters on Wednesday, killing one crew member, after four other vessels ...
Norwegian police apprehe...
Oil prices continue to fluctuate as a result of the conflict in the Middle East with Iran and the insecurity of ships sailing through the key ...
Iran's Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali has announced on state television that Iran will not participate in the FIFA tournament, calli...
The 32 countries belonging to the Internatioanl Energy Agency agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil on Wednesday (11 March), in efforts aime...
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) documents have revealed the late Jeffrey Epstein’s extensive connections across politics, business and academia, prompting resignations, investigations and renewed public scrutiny of his influence.
Despite its economic might, the European Union is often labelled a “geopolitical dwarf.” The only region where it acts as an indisputable player, able to assert its will with relative ease, is the Western Balkans, along with parts of Eastern Europe.
Russian troops in Ukraine have lost access to Starlink internet terminals after Kyiv and SpaceX moved to block unauthorised Russian use, a disruption Ukrainian officials described as a major blow to Moscow’s battlefield operations.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk said the search at his social media platform X offices in Paris on Tuesday by French authorities was a "political attack".
The 32 countries belonging to the Internatioanl Energy Agency agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil on Wednesday (11 March), in efforts aimed at bringing down the price of crude oil, which has soared since fighting between Iran, Israel and the U.S. started at the end of February.
A towering lava fountain from Kilauea shot about 400 metres into the air late on Tuesday (11 March) on Hawaii Island, prompting temporary closures at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and part of a key highway as volcanic ash and debris fell over nearby areas.
Norwegian police apprehended three brothers suspected of carrying out Sunday's (8 March) bombing at the U.S. embassy in Oslo, in an attack investigators have branded an act of terrorism.
Azerbaijan is evacuating nearly 200 people from the Middle East on a special charter flight departing from Oman.
China has raised the retail prices of petrol and diesel after global oil prices climbed sharply. The country’s top economic planning body, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), announced the move after reviewing international oil market trends.
Norwegian police apprehended three brothers suspected of carrying out Sunday's (8 March) bombing at the U.S. embassy in Oslo, in an attack investigators have branded an act of terrorism.
Oil prices continue to fluctuate as a result of the conflict in the Middle East with Iran and the insecurity of ships sailing through the key Strait of Hormuz route. Iran has said it will target any ship linked to the U.S., Israel or their allies.
Britain has deployed the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon to the eastern Mediterranean to strengthen protection for its military assets in the Middle East after a drone strike targeted a key UK air base in Cyprus earlier this month.
Member countries of the International Energy Agency have unanimously agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves to stabilise global markets disrupted by the war involving Iran.
The annual pro-Palestinian al-Quds Day march in London, scheduled to take place on Sunday, has been banned by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood following warnings from the Metropolitan Police about the risk of “serious public disorder.”
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment