A detente may have been on the menu when President Donald Trump brought together Elon Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for dinner at his Mar-a-Lago club over the weekend.
The New York Times reported that Rubio confronted Musk over staff cuts spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort overseen by the tech executive during a meeting of Cabinet officials at the White House last week.
Despite signs of a budding feud, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Sunday that Trump “had dinner” with Musk and Rubio at his Florida resort on Saturday night. Fox News’ Sean Hannity “happened to stop by the table with his new fiancée, Ainsley, and there were other club members and donors that were in attendance as well,” Leavitt added.
In a post to Truth Social on Saturday evening, Trump himself exclaimed in all capital letters, “ELON AND MARCO HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP. ANY STATEMENT OTHER THAN THAT IS FAKE NEWS!!!”
There was no indication of animosity between Musk and Rubio on Sunday, at least on X. They teamed up against Poland’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, when he suggested Ukraine may need to find an alternative to Musk’s Starlink satellite company for communications assistance in its war against Russia.
“Just making things up,” Rubio said on X. “No one has made any threats about cutting Ukraine off from Starlink. And say thank you because without Starlink Ukraine would have lost this war long ago and Russians would be on the border with Poland right now.”
Musk issued a couple of replies on the social media platform. To Rubio, he said, “What Secretary Rubio says is absolutely correct.” And to Sikorski, Musk shot back, “Be quiet, small man. You pay a tiny fraction of the cost. And there is no substitute for Starlink.”
The New York Times report claimed that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also confronted Musk over firings sought by DOGE. Although speculation about a rift between them grew in response to a post claiming Musk was no longer following Duffy on X, the transportation secretary touted DOGE’s efforts on Sunday.
Under my leadership, the [Transportation Department] no longer celebrates months, immutable racial differences, or the Green New Scam. We celebrate only one thing, safety, every single day,” Duffy said. “DOGE is helping us cut out the woke nonsense, prioritize innovation, and remain mission-focused. This is how we deliver for the American people and usher in a Golden Age of travel.”
