Elon Musk has 'massive blow-up' with top Trump advisor over Cabinet selections

HOUSTON, US

Billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk had a "massive blow-up" with one of Donald Trump's top advisors regarding the president-elect's Cabinet selections, according to a report released Monday by the online news service Axios.

The "heated discussion" apparently took place at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida last Wednesday with sources telling Axios that the discussion about the new administration's Cabinet appointments transformed into a "massive blow-up" between Musk and prominent Trump strategist and lawyer Boris Epshteyn, who has worked on all three of Trump's presidential campaigns.

Three separate sources told Axios that Musk accused Epshteyn of leaking details about Trump's picks to the media, a claim that Epshteyn reportedly denied.

According to the report, Musk is apparently concerned about Epshteyn’s influence in Trump’s decision-making process with Cabinet picks, including the nomination of former US Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. That particular selection has been met with backlash and confusion from many Republicans, as Gaetz was previously accused of trafficking teenage girls for sex in 2020, including accusations of having sex with a 17-year-old girl. The House Ethics Committee is scheduled to meet this Wednesday to discuss releasing its report on allegations against Gaetz.

Trump’s criminal defense attorneys, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, were appointed to top Justice Department posts and longtime Republican election lawyer William McGinley was appointed as White House counsel. The president-elect also plans to nominate appellate court attorney D. John Sauer as solicitor general. All of these positions would report to Gaetz as the new attorney general.

Musk, who reportedly poured at least $120 million into Trump's reelection bid, was appointed by Trump to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency alongside entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Musk has also pushed for Trump to select his Cabinet recommendations, specifically for Trump transition co-chair Howard Lutnick to be chosen as treasury secretary over Key Square Group fund manager Scott Bessent, which Musk voiced loudly on social media.

"Bessent is a business-as-usual choice, whereas (Lutnick) will actually enact change," Musk posted on his X platform. "Business-as-usual is driving America bankrupt."

What kind of influence Musk will ultimately have in Trump's administration has yet to play out, but according to media reports, Musk is well-liked by Vice President-elect JD Vance and many of Trump's family members, including sons Don Jr. and Eric.

Neither Musk nor Epshteyn have commented on the reports of their "massive blow-up" last week.