WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to his Cabinet on Wednesday regarding their cooperation with Elon Musk, threatening removal for those who resist the billionaire's controversial government overhaul. "Anybody unhappy with Elon? If you are, then we'll throw them out of here," Trump declared to his assembled secretaries, whose applause ranged from enthusiastic to noticeably tepid.
The explosive remarks came amid growing tensions between Cabinet officials and Musk, the unelected tech magnate who has somehow acquired unprecedented authority over federal employees. Cabinet members reportedly seethed after learning an Office of Personnel Management email demanding federal workers justify their employment had been sent at Musk's direction without their knowledge.
Musk, brazenly attending the first Cabinet meeting despite holding no official government position, portrayed himself as mere "tech support" before making the shocking claim that his Department of Government Efficiency has received "a lot of death threats" related to their mass termination campaign.
The tech billionaire defended his controversial weekend email blast that demanded one million federal workers explain, "What did you do last week?" Characterizing this as a "pulse check review" rather than a performance evaluation, Musk made the extraordinary assertion that the government employs deceased and fictional people. "We're literally trying to figure out, are these people real, are they alive and can they write an email?" Musk stated with apparent seriousness.
Perhaps most alarming, Musk casually admitted his sweeping purge accidentally eliminated critical national security functions, including USAID's Ebola prevention programs. These cancellations were reversed, but questions linger about what other vital government operations might have been dismantled in Musk's zealous cost-cutting crusade.
The unprecedented scenario has created chaos across federal agencies, with workers receiving conflicting directives from Trump, Musk, and department leaders. Despite these troubles, Trump praised the arrangement, insisting Cabinet members are "thrilled" with Musk's involvement — a claim betrayed by the strained expressions visible around the Cabinet table.
The explosive remarks came amid growing tensions between Cabinet officials and Musk, the unelected tech magnate who has somehow acquired unprecedented authority over federal employees. Cabinet members reportedly seethed after learning an Office of Personnel Management email demanding federal workers justify their employment had been sent at Musk's direction without their knowledge.
Musk, brazenly attending the first Cabinet meeting despite holding no official government position, portrayed himself as mere "tech support" before making the shocking claim that his Department of Government Efficiency has received "a lot of death threats" related to their mass termination campaign.
The tech billionaire defended his controversial weekend email blast that demanded one million federal workers explain, "What did you do last week?" Characterizing this as a "pulse check review" rather than a performance evaluation, Musk made the extraordinary assertion that the government employs deceased and fictional people. "We're literally trying to figure out, are these people real, are they alive and can they write an email?" Musk stated with apparent seriousness.
Perhaps most alarming, Musk casually admitted his sweeping purge accidentally eliminated critical national security functions, including USAID's Ebola prevention programs. These cancellations were reversed, but questions linger about what other vital government operations might have been dismantled in Musk's zealous cost-cutting crusade.
The unprecedented scenario has created chaos across federal agencies, with workers receiving conflicting directives from Trump, Musk, and department leaders. Despite these troubles, Trump praised the arrangement, insisting Cabinet members are "thrilled" with Musk's involvement — a claim betrayed by the strained expressions visible around the Cabinet table.
