Mr. Trump shockingly declared: “I don’t really need Elon Musk”; the “victim” just smiled and nodded

During a White House cabinet meeting on Thursday that included Elon Musk, President Donald Trump insisted he didn’t really need the billionaire in his administration despite heaping praise on the Tesla boss.

“Elon has done a great job. He’s sitting here and I’m still talking. I don’t need Musk for anything except I like him,” Trump said.

Trump also revealed that he bought a Tesla as a show of support for Musk. “I didn’t need his car, but I bought one anyway. They asked me, ‘Do you want a discount?’ I said, ‘No, just charge me the highest price.’ I paid a lot of money for it,” Trump said.

At the meeting, Mr. Trump also spoke up to defend Musk: “He did a great job, but he was not treated properly.”

Billionaire Elon Musk was also present at the meeting. In response to Mr. Trump’s statements, the world’s richest man just smiled and nodded.

Musk is currently leading the cost-cutting efforts at the White House DOGE Office, where he has a unique role as a federal civil servant. In his drastic cost-cutting campaign, DOGE has laid off thousands of government employees and shut down numerous foreign aid programs, causing chaos in the government apparatus.

At a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Musk announced that DOGE is expected to cut nearly $150 billion in fiscal 2026. However, these changes also affected Musk’s business as Tesla showrooms across the US were targeted by protesters, while some Tesla owners reported their cars were vandalized.

Despite being one of Mr Trump’s most ardent supporters — spending at least $277 million to support him and other Republican candidates in last year’s election — Musk appeared to have fallen out with the administration after Mr Trump announced massive tariffs targeting more than 180 countries.

At a meeting with Italy’s League party, Musk called for a “free trade zone” between Europe and the US. He also lashed out at Trump’s top adviser Peter Navarro after he called him “a car assembler”.

Last week, Vice President JD Vance said in an interview with Fox News that Musk would remain an adviser even after his DOGE tenure ends. Trump also said on April 3 that he expected Musk to leave the administration “in the next few months,” but hoped he would stay “as long as possible.”

Under federal regulations, special government employees like Musk cannot work more than 130 days a year. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt wrote on social media X on April 2: “Elon Musk and President Trump have both publicly confirmed that Elon will be leaving his special government position after completing an outstanding job at DOGE.”

Both Musk and the White House declined to comment when contacted by Business Insider.

Reference: Business Insider