President Trump denounced rumors of discord between Elon Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “fake news” after reports emerged of a heated exchange during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday. Trump took to social media on Saturday evening to affirm the strong relationship between Rubio and Musk, dismissing any talk of tension as untrue. In a post on Truth Social, Trump emphasized that “ELON AND MARCO HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP” and labeled contrary statements as “FAKE NEWS!!!”
According to a report in The New York Times, Musk allegedly criticized Rubio for his reluctance to reduce his staff during the private cabinet meeting, particularly in light of recent staff reductions within federal departments. Rubio countered by pointing out that State Department employees had opted for early retirement buyouts, which Musk perceived as layoffs. Trump, who was present during the exchange, eventually intervened after a prolonged discussion.
In response to a question from an NBC News reporter about the Musk-Rubio clash, Trump deflected and redirected the conversation to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a topic of a recent executive order he had signed. Trump dismissed the reporter’s inquiry as an attempt to stir trouble and insisted that Musk and Rubio have a positive working relationship. Rubio humorously suggested rehiring employees just to have the satisfaction of firing them again. Trump reiterated that there was no discord between the two officials, emphasizing their effective performance in their roles.
