‘Anybody Unhappy with Elon? We’ll Throw You Out’: Trump to Cabinet- wna24

Washington: US President Donald Trump invited tech billionaire Elon Musk to speak first at a cabinet meeting, where the two leaders underscored their close relationship and addressed economic concerns, particularly the nation’s budget deficit.

Trump began by reaffirming his commitment to balancing the budget, stating, “One of the things I was elected to do was balance the budgets and getting our budget back into shape.” He then introduced Musk to the cabinet, acknowledging the sacrifices the entrepreneur has made. “He’s sacrificing a lot… and getting a lot of praise, but he’s also getting hit,” Trump remarked.

Musk, taking the floor, highlighted the urgency of tackling the deficit. “The overall goal of the Doge team is to help address the enormous deficit,” he said. “We simply cannot sustain it. If this continues, the country will become de facto bankrupt. It’s not an optional thing, it’s an essential thing.”

The meeting appeared to serve as an opportunity for Trump and Musk to display solidarity, countering media speculation about possible strains in their relationship. Reports have suggested that Musk’s rising influence could lead to tensions, but both men signaled alignment on key issues.

“I call myself humble tech support here,” Musk quipped, drawing laughter from Trump and the cabinet members.

Trump went on to involve Musk further in the discussion, allowing reporters in the room to direct questions at him despite his lack of an official cabinet position.

One reporter asked Musk about Trump’s post on Truth Social earlier in the day, which claimed the entire cabinet was “extremely happy” with Musk’s work. Before Musk could answer, Trump interjected with a playful remark: “Elon, let the cabinet speak just for a second.” This was met with laughter.

“Is anybody unhappy with Elon? If you are, we will throw you out of here,” Trump joked, prompting applause from those around the table.

Musk then praised those gathered, calling it the “best cabinet ever, literally.”

Later in the meeting, Musk acknowledged past missteps in policy decisions, citing an error related to Ebola prevention. “Doge will certainly make mistakes as we proceed, but when we make mistakes, we’ll fix it very quickly,” he assured the group.

He elaborated on an incident at USAID, stating, “We accidentally canceled – very, very briefly – Ebola prevention. I think we all want Ebola prevention, so we restored Ebola prevention immediately. There was no disruption.”

The meeting ultimately served as a platform for Trump and Musk to showcase their partnership, reinforcing Musk’s role in economic discussions while affirming their mutual respect. With Trump publicly backing Musk and Musk expressing his support for the administration’s efforts, the session projected a message of unity on policy and governance moving forward.