At the first meeting of his presidential Cabinet, President Donald Trump put multi-billionaire Elon Musk ahead of everyone else, giving his campaign financier the first speaking slot.
Asked by a reporter if anyone in the Cabinet had voiced dissatisfaction with Musk’s actions at the Department of Government Efficiency, which have raised security concerns and been the subject of multiple lawsuits, Trump leapt to the defense of his co-president.
“Anybody unhappy with Elon? If you are, we’ll throw them out of here,” Trump said, adding, “we have a lot of respect for Elon that he’s doing this.”
The Cabinet meeting is just the latest instance of Trump ceding the spotlight to Musk in a manner starkly at odds with how he has angrily pushed back on past insinuations that he’s not in charge. Trump’s submission to his billionaire backer also raises new questions about his state of mind.
In 2017, during his first term, Trump very publicly fired chief strategist Steve Bannon after Bannon got publicity for purportedly being the brains behind Trump’s presidency. CNN reported at the time that Trump was angry after Bannon told a media outlet that he had the power to fire officials at the State Department and had contradicted Trump on foreign policy.
The Trump eruption had apparently been stewing for months, after Bannon was featured on the cover of Time magazine with a story asking, “Is Steve Bannon the Second Most Powerful Man in the World?”
Yet a Time cover from last week was even more provocative, featuring a photoshopped image of Musk behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. Asked about the cover, Trump said he had no reaction to it.
Trump was also passive a few weeks ago as Musk held court with reporters in the Oval Office, with Trump looking on. Musk’s son even wiped his boogers on the desk as Trump sat for it all.
Republican officeholders have been dealing with the fallout from Musk’s destructive actions at DOGE, fielding angry complaints about privacy violations, indiscriminate firings, and confusing mandates. Trump has defended these actions and attempted to smooth over the chaos caused in multiple departments.
Asked directly by reporters if Musk speaks for him, Trump replied, “Yeah. Everybody speaks for me.”
Some have raised questions about possible mental decline by Trump, which could perhaps explain why he isn’t the forceful personality in this dynamic that he was eight years ago.
Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, addressing Trump’s friendliness with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, brought up concerns about Trump’s state of mind during a recent CNN interview.
“I think it’s an indication his mind is full of mush, and he says whatever comes into it. He believes Vladimir Putin is his friend, and you know, you don’t call your friends a dictator,” Bolton said.
Musk contributed millions to make Trump president and got his desired result in the 2024 election. A major issue in that election advanced by the right was the purported “cognitive decline” of President Joe Biden.
But now, just a month into Trump’s presidency, Musk appears to be the beneficiary of some sort of decline by Trump, and now the public is forced to suffer the consequences of an unelected co-president.
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