New York: Donald Trump held his first cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday with an unusual guest. He is the co-chair of the ‘department of government efficiency’ (DOGE) and Trump’s close ally, Elon Musk. His appearance at the meeting is unusual as majorly Senate confirmed officials attend it. Elon Musk, though not a federal employee or a Senate-confirmed official, made a significant appearance at Trump’s first cabinet meeting wearing a t-shirt reading ‘Tech Support’ and a ‘Make America Great Again (MAGA) baseball cap.
Musk is not technically part of the president’s Cabinet, but his influence was on full display at the crucial meeting. According to reports, about 12 minutes into the meeting, Trump gave Musk, the chance to speak first. “Is anybody unhappy with Elon?” Trump said. As others laughed, Trump said, “If you are, we’ll throw him out of here.” The president also addressed Musk’s controversial e-mail to federal employees asking them to list five things they had done in the last week or risk losing their jobs, saying that the cabinet is “very much behind” the initiative.
The one-hour session was also attended by Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. It began with a prayer. The US president also addressed the prospect of peace in Ukraine, the tariffs he plans to impose and mass layoffs within the federal workforce.
Here are the takeaways from the meeting:
1) Trump praises Musk
Trump was asked by reporters which government department – and cabinet members – were most resistant to his policy changes.
“So far, I’m happy with all of those choices,” he told the BBC, adding that “some groups are much easier than others”, specifically praising the work of Elon Musk. The focus of Trump’s administration was on “cutting down the size of government.” “We want to have a balanced budget within a reasonably short period of time… meaning maybe by next year or maybe the year after,” Trump said, as quoted by the BBC.
2) Addresses potential cabinet tensions
The president sought to dampen any speculation of tension between Musk and the rest of his team. “They have a lot of respect for Elon and that he’s doing this, and some disagree a little bit,” Trump said. “But I will tell you for the most part I think everyone’s not only happy, they’re thrilled.” “If they aren’t, I want them to speak up,” he added. Musk also defended Doge. He called it a “support function” for government agencies to rid themselves of fraud.
3) Tariff war
US President Donald Trump also raised the issue of tariffs not only on neighbouring countries Canada and Mexico but also on the European Union (EU). On the issue of Canada and Mexico tariffs, which were deferred to March 4, Trump said they would instead arrive on April 2. Trump said he was planning to hit goods made in the European Union with tariffs of 25%, reported the BBC.
4) Gold card for citizenship
Trump also expanded on his proposal for a ‘gold card’, which could act as an alternative to green cards. The initiative would see individuals having to shell out $5 million for citizenship.
5) Confirms Ukrainian President’s visit to White House
Trump confirmed that Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky will visit the White House on Friday. The visit would see the US and Ukraine sign an expansive minerals deal.
