'Furious' Marco Rubio clashed with Musk until Trump 'finally intervened' on Rubio’s behalf

Quite a few Democrats are vehemently critical of billionaire SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk for his role in the mass layoffs of federal workers being carried out by the Trump administration with the help of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Many Democrats are pointing out that Musk was never elected to public office or confirmed to any official position by the Senate, and yet is pushing an unprecedented downsizing of the federal workforce and intruding on functions that are reserved for Congress.

But Democrats aren't the only ones who are clashing with Musk.

In an article published on March 7, New York Times reporters Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman described a clash between Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that took place in the White House. Trump was present when tensions between Rubio and Musk came to the surface during that Thursday, March 6 meeting.

READ MORE: Musk is a liability — and it's only a matter of time before Trump gives him the boot

"Seated diagonally opposite, across the elliptical mahogany table, Elon Musk was letting Mr. Rubio have it, accusing him of failing to slash his staff," Swan and Haberman explain. "You have fired 'nobody,' Mr. Musk told Mr. Rubio, then scornfully added that perhaps the only person he had fired was a staff member from Mr. Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. Mr. Rubio had been privately furious with Mr. Musk for weeks, ever since his team effectively shuttered an entire agency that was supposedly under Mr. Rubio's control: the United States Agency for International Development. But, in the extraordinary cabinet meeting in front of the president and around 20 others — details of which have not been reported before — Mr. Rubio got his grievances off his chest."

During their "argument," Swan and Haberman report, Rubio noted that more than 1500 U.S. State Department employees had accepted early retirement via buyouts. But Musk "was unimpressed" and "told Mr. Rubio he was 'good on TV,' with the clear subtext being that he was not good for much else."

"Throughout all of this," the Times reporters note, "the president sat back in his chair, arms folded, as if he were watching a tennis match. After the argument dragged on for an uncomfortable time, Mr. Trump finally intervened to defend Mr. Rubio as doing a 'great job.' Mr. Rubio has a lot to deal with, the president said. He is very busy, he is always traveling and on TV, and he has an agency to run. So everyone just needs to work together."

Swan and Haberman continue, "The meeting was a potential turning point after the frenetic first weeks of Mr. Trump's second term. It yielded the first significant indication that Mr. Trump is willing to put some limits on Mr. Musk, whose efforts have become the subject of several lawsuits and prompted concerns from Republican lawmakers, some of whom have complained directly to the president."

READ MORE: 'Power struggle': Trump 'trying to reel in Musk' as he tells Cabinet members they're in charge

Read the New York Times' full article at this link (subscription required).