Trump denies reports of Rubio-Musk clash; calls them 'fake news'
US President Donald Trump denied reports of a heated exchange between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Elon Musk regarding widespread federal workforce cuts
- WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump on Sunday denied reports of a heated
exchange between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Elon Musk regarding
widespread federal workforce cuts during a recent White House meeting.
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- Addressing the matter on his social media platform, Truth
Social, Trump posted, "Elon and Marco have a great relationship. Any
statement other than that is fake news!!!"
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- This statement follows a New York Times report claiming that
during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Musk, the administration's cost-cutting
chief, criticised Rubio for failing to implement significant staff reductions
at the State Department. Musk reportedly accused Rubio of firing
"nobody."
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- In response, Rubio reportedly pointed out that over 1,500
State Department officials had recently opted for early retirement through
buyouts. He sarcastically asked Musk if he wanted those employees rehired just
to be fired again.
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- According to CNN, when asked about the reported clash, Trump
dismissed the claims, stating, "No clash, I was there. Elon gets along
great with Marco, and they're both doing a fantastic job. There is no
clash."
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- Trump also defended his administration's strategy on federal
job cuts, vowing to use a "scalpel" rather than a "hatchet"
in reducing the federal workforce -- a response to growing concerns over the
aggressive layoffs in recent weeks.
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- The New York Times reported that some Cabinet members had
expressed concerns to the White House regarding Musk's "ready, fire,
aim" approach to job cuts.
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- Since the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed
by Musk, began its work in late January, over 30,000 US federal employees have
reportedly been laid off.
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- Meanwhile, the White House previously stated that around
75,000 federal employees had accepted a "buyout" plan, offering eight
months of salary for "deferred resignation."
