The tech billionaire has been the face of the many job cuts sweeping the US news recently, but now, Elon Musk seems to be doing what he can to change public perception.
Reportedly, Musk has been working behind the scenes to convince Republican lawmakers that he isn’t the one responsible for the mass firings of federal workers, despite playing a very public role in advocating for government job cuts. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump appears to be attempting the same, telling his cabinet secretaries that hiring and firing decisions ultimately rest with them — not Musk.
Over the last two months, thousands of federal employees, including military veterans and personnel at the NOAA, have been let go, sparking outrage across the country. But even as Musk has repeatedly pushed for major cuts — going as far as to suggest that entire agencies should be scrapped — both he and Trump now seem to be shifting the narrative.
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This comes after Musk took part in discussions about government downsizing, answered questions alongside the president, and even wielded a chainsaw at an event as a not-so-subtle symbol of his approach.
According to the Associated Press, Musk has been meeting with lawmakers facing backlash from constituents over the job losses, reassuring them that these decisions are made by federal agencies — not him. Representative Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who heads the House Republicans’ campaign efforts, backed this up after a private meeting with Musk in Washington, saying: “Elon doesn’t fire people.”
“He doesn’t have hiring and firing authority,” Hudson further insisted after their basement pizza meeting at the US Capitol. “The president’s empowered him to go uncover this information, that’s it.”
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At the same time, Politico reports that Trump has told his cabinet that Musk’s role is strictly advisory when it comes to staffing decisions. While Musk may make recommendations, the final call supposedly rests with individual departments.
This all ties back to the creation of the “Department of Government Efficiency” — also known as DOGE, referring to the Musk-supported meme coin — an agency introduced by Trump’s administration and expanded under his second term. Musk was put in charge, tasked with cutting jobs and reducing costs across the government — a move that critics say hands enormous power to an unelected billionaire.
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Trump himself has flip-flopped on the issue. Earlier this week, he addressed Congress, reaffirming that Musk is the head of DOGE, which has already been cited as evidence in lawsuits challenging the layoffs. The shoutout to the Tesla CEO was answered with an equal mix of cheers and boos, which made Musk look noticeably uncomfortable.
But on Thursday, he told his cabinet that they should take a more precise approach to job cuts. President Trump said: “I don’t want to see a big cut where a lot of good people are cut.”
That was likely due to the instances of hundreds of government employees being rehired just weeks after being impacted by DOGE’s cuts.
Despite this, Trump still left the door open for Musk to take more drastic action down the line. He added: “If they can cut, it’s better. And if they don’t cut, then Elon will do the cutting.”
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As the precedent set by this unpredictable administration in the past month alone tells us, what happens next could be anyone’s guess.