The girls are fighting.

Blow-Up Dolls

It's only been a few weeks since Elon Musk's money helped bring Donald Trump back to the White House — and already, the billionaire seems to be causing problems.

According to insiders who spoke to Axios, Musk and Donald Trump's indicted lawyer Boris Epshteyn got into what the outlet's sources described as a "massive blowup" and a "huge explosion" at Mar-a-Lago last week over the president-elect's Cabinet picks, of all things.

Those sources said that the row occurred in front of other guests at Trump's Florida mansion as Musk accused Epshteyn of intentionally leaking picks to the press. The attorney rebutted that he had no idea what the billionaire was talking about — but onlookers, including those within Trump's orbit, were well aware of what the fight was really about.

Sway My Way

These explosive tensions had been bubbling for weeks, Axios' anonymous sources explained, as the pair vie for influence with Trump. A longtime advisor to the real estate tycoon who has represented him in court and briefly worked with him during his first presidency, Epshteyn's sway with Trump makes sense.

Musk, however, doesn't seem too pleased about that sway. He's taken to airing out his thoughts in public as he pushes for transition co-chair Howard Lutnick to be appointed to lead the Treasury Department instead of hedge fund chief Scott Bessent, who Trump once called "brilliant" and "nice-looking."

"My view [for what it's worth] is that Bessent is a business-as-usual choice, whereas [Lutnik] will actually enact change," Musk tweeted days after the alleged blowout. "Business-as-usual is driving America bankrupt, so we need change one way or another."

Power Player

An outsider in Trump's world of well-heeled movers and shakers, Musk's jockeying for power has some in the president-elect's inner circle complaining about the South African-born business owner's antics.

In an interview with The Hill, one GOP lobbyist tied to Trump said that Musk has gotten a "little big for his britches," and another ally told NBC News that the billionaire is "behaving as if he's a co-president."

A source with Trump's transition team insisted in a statement to the New York Post that the story about Musk and Epshtyen's fight is "complete and total nonsense, which Axios is known for."

One thing's for sure, though: there's bad blood brewing in the transition team.

More on Musk in Trumpworld: Elon Musk's "DOGE" Department Sounds Like It Might Be a Fake Thing to Make Him Feel Important


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