1 week Ago By Rob Currell
During a publicly televised Trump administration Cabinet meeting, eyes were drawn to a conspicuous "top secret" note in front of Elon Musk . The Tesla mastermind was present with top members of President Donald Trump's Cabinet while the mysterious message was clearly visible to both him and the camera. The note's presence could be interpreted as Musk's subtle rebuttal to allegations that emerged in a New York Times piece from March.
According to that article, Musk was rumored to be receiving classified briefings on military operations pertaining to a hypothetical US-China conflict . Citing two unnamed American sources, the report claimed Musk would be shown 20 to 30 slides outlining America's strategy for a potential war with China. However, despite concerns over Musk's ties to China conflicting with his Pentagon interactions, President Trump dismissed the allegations.
In response to potential conflicts between Musk's business ventures and his aim to reduce federal expenditure, the White House had previously conveyed that Musk would resign if necessary. Adding fuel to the fire, a confidential memo hinted at the game-changing announcement Musk shared during a Cabinet session, in which he said the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) predicted $150 billion (£115.5bn) in savings for the next fiscal year through a crackdown on "waste" and "fraud".
Musk underscored that cuts would tackle scenarios such as non-existent individuals receiving unemployment benefits. Addressing the nation, Musk stated: "We're going to be spending their tax dollars in a way that is fair and sensible and good." Nevertheless, this proposed reduction is significantly less than Musk's original goal of slashing $1 trillion (£770.
6bn), a target he had previously promoted on Fox News. Indications are that Musk's role within the administration might be drawing to a close, as hinted by both his own comments and those of Donald Trump. Despite being a major donor to Trump's campaign and an outspoken supporter, Musk has recently displayed signs of strain with administration officials.
Only two days earlier, the White House downplayed a dispute with a dismissive "boys will be boys" following Elon Musk's derogatory comment about one of Trump's key economic advisors, whom he labeled a "moron". The spat erupted between the Tesla chief and trade adviser Peter Navarro over Trump's initial broad tariff impositions on several U.S.
trade allies. Most of these tariffs have been rolled back by Trump, except for those on China. Earlier on the same Monday, Navarro had criticized Musk's advocacy for "zero tariffs" between the US and Europe, mockingly describing him as merely a "car assembler" dependent on imported parts.
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