Florida
Elon Musk had a "major blowup" during dinner at Mar-a-Lago last week, as per an Axios report. The incident happened between the SpaceX CEO and Trump's legal adviser Boris Epshteyn over the matter of the President-elect's top Cabinet picks in the past days.
According to the report, Musk was furious over Epshteyn's influence on Trump's Cabinet picks. He further accused him of leaking details to the media, a charge he denied.
Musk bankrolled Trump's election campaign and gave at least $119 million. He is reportedly now questioning whether Epshteyn has had too much influence in Trump's selections. Musk has been questioning the qualifications of candidates favoured by Epshteyn, as per the report.
As Trump announced 12 Cabinet-level appointments in the 12 days since the election, not everyone in his inner circle supports all the picks.
Musk has been picked to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency as an advisor under Trump. It is not an official part of the government but an external body meant to advise the government on how to cut costs.
Trump's inner circle not happy with Musk?
Reports suggest that others in Trump's circle are miffed to see Musk land a spot in the administration. They are particularly unhappy with his public comments on appointments and policy.
However, Daily Mail reported, quoting a source, that the matter seemed to have been blown out of proportion and that Musk and Epshteyn are on good terms.
Meanwhile, some of his other advisers are reportedly angry at Epshteyn as he is being seen as a key player in promoting Matt Gaetz to the role of attorney general.
He is also responsible for assembling Trump's legal team for his New York criminal case. Todd Blanche and Emile Bove, two of the lawyers part of his team, have landed top Justice Department positions. People in the know say he has too much influence, something that has turned others bitter against him.
Musk has also suggested his own name for the role of treasury secretary instead of Scott Bessent who is being seen as the frontrunner to land the job. “My view fwiw is that Bessent is a business-as-usual choice, whereas @howardlutnick will actually enact change,” Musk posted Saturday.
“Business-as-usual is driving America bankrupt, so we need change one way or another.”
A source close to the publication said that Musk needs to be "careful". "There is only room for one president and it hasn't gone unnoticed that he is generating a lot of headlines."