President Donald Trump convened his Cabinet in person on Thursday to deliver a message: You’re in charge of your departments, not Elon Musk.
According to two administration officials, Trump told top members of his administration that Musk was empowered to make recommendations to the departments but not to issue unilateral decisions on staffing and policy. Musk was also in the room.
Trump stressed that he wants to keep good people in government and not to eject capable federal workers en masse.
The president later told reporters he wants Cabinet members to “keep all the people you want, everybody that you need.”
The timing of the meeting was influenced by recent comments from Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), who said on CNN Tuesday that Cabinet secretaries should retain the full power to hire and fire, according to one official. The official said Trump has been flooded with similar concerns from other lawmakers and Cabinet secretaries.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/06/trump-cabinet-musk-025093 