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3471President Donald Trump offered a mix of praise and distance when talking about Elon Musk during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday.
While acknowledging Musk’s contributions and influence, Trump emphasized that he isn’t dependent on the billionaire entrepreneur in any official capacity.
“I happen to like him”
“Elon has done a fantastic job. Look, he’s sitting here, and I don’t care. I don’t need Elon for anything other than I happen to like him,” Trump told reporters in the Cabinet Room.
Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and currently heading up the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), listened in and nodded along as Trump spoke.
In a show of personal support, Trump said he recently bought a Tesla. “I don’t need his car. I actually bought one, and they said, ‘Oh, did you get a bargain?’ No. I said, ‘Give me the top price.’ I paid a lot of money for that car,” he said.
The transaction reportedly happened during a White House event last month, where Trump was seen getting behind the wheel of a red Tesla Model S, with Musk nearby.
The President says he doesn’t use the car but lets his staff use it to drive around.
Despite the public praise, insiders say there’s growing discomfort with Musk’s role and personality behind the scenes.
Behind-the-scenes friction
According to multiple senior Trump administration officials speaking anonymously to Rolling Stone, Musk has been a source of tension in the West Wing.
“I have been in the same room with Elon, and he always tries to be funny. And he’s not funny. Like, at all,” one senior official said.
Several others said Musk has earned the nickname “Crazy Uncle Elon” for his unpredictable behavior and cringeworthy attempts at humor.
“He just thinks he’s smarter than everyone else in the room and acts like it, even when it’s clear he doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” another official added.
Musk’s influence has grown considerably despite not being elected, confirmed, or formally appointed.
He has been operating as a special government employee and currently leads DOGE, where he has overseen sweeping government cuts.
At Thursday’s meeting, Musk announced plans to cut nearly $150 billion in federal spending for the 2026 fiscal year.
These drastic measures have triggered mass protests across the country, with government workers, activists, and even Tesla customers voicing their opposition.
Many Tesla showrooms have faced demonstrations, and owners say their vehicles have been vandalized.
Musk’s approach to managing these cuts has only made things worse. He has reportedly mocked employees being let go, sometimes quoting the movie Office Space to their faces.
One laid-off worker, Ben Vizzachero, a former wildlife biologist, recalled Musk asking him, “What would you say you do here?”
The line, meant to be humorous, left Vizzachero stunned. “My job is my identity,” he said. “And Musk treated it like a joke.”
Tensions flare over trade and politics
While Musk has been one of Trump’s biggest backers—donating at least $277 million to Trump and other Republicans during the last election cycle—cracks in the relationship have started to show.
After Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs affecting over 180 countries, Musk criticized the policy and called for a “free trade zone” between Europe and the United States.
He also lashed out at Trump advisor Peter Navarro, saying he was “dumber than a sack of bricks” after Navarro dismissed Musk as merely a “car assembler.”
Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that Musk will stay on as an advisor even after his current role at DOGE ends.
Under federal law, Musk’s special government employee status limits him to 130 workdays in a calendar year.
Trump echoed this timeline during an April 3 press conference, saying, “I expect him to leave in a few months,” but added, “I want him to stay as long as possible.”
Even as he continues to push for more federal control and contracts, some within the administration are openly frustrated. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to sources, “hasn’t hidden his disdain.”
Outside of Washington, protests have intensified. Activist groups have launched a “Tesla Takedown” campaign, urging people to sell off their vehicles and dump Tesla stock.
Musk, however, appears unfazed. He has laughed off criticism, handed out million-dollar checks at political events, and even accused George Soros of funding the protests.
At a recent town hall in Wisconsin, Musk paid attendees $100 to sign petitions and attempted to influence a state Supreme Court race. His candidate lost by 10 points.
Despite everything, Trump insists the relationship is personal, not political.
He doesn’t need Musk. He just likes him. And apparently, he doesn’t need Musk’s car either.
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