--- title: "Trump Cuts Elon’s Power as Disaster Deepens" description: "President Donald Trump made it clear that government agency heads were in charge of their departments —  not Elon Musk." date: "2025-03-07" modified: "2025-03-07" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/trump-cuts-elons-power" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "doge" - "donald trump" - "elon musk" - "white house" --- # Trump Cuts Elon’s Power as Disaster Deepens ![President Donald Trump made it clear that government agency heads were in charge of their departments —  not Elon Musk.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* In the face of a [tumbling economy](), president Donald Trump has finally put his foot down. As [*Politico* reports](), Trump made it clear that government agency heads are in charge of personnel decisions in their departments — rather than Elon Musk — during an in-person Cabinet meeting on Thursday, which was attended by both. Musk has spent the last two months [plundering the government]() with the help of his henchmen at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. The shadowy pseudo-department has overseen [massive government job cullings](), pushing the number of layoffs in the US to a [record high](). The cuts, seen by many as [outright illegal]() and [unconstitutional](), have ruffled countless feathers, particularly among Democratic lawmakers. Even a [growing Republican contingency]() has voiced discontent with DOGE fundamentally undermining the Congressional approval process. It's a major inflection point, with Trump drawing something approaching a clear line in the sand for the first time. Until now, the president has largely watched from the sidelines and even cheered Musk on as he plowed through government agencies like a bull in a china shop. Still, the attempt to put Musk in his place appears lukewarm at best, with Trump using characteristically muddy and contradictory language to suggest that the mercurial CEO isn't going anywhere soon. "If \[Cabinet members\] can cut, it’s better," he told reporters, as quoted by *Politico*. "And if they don’t cut, then Elon will do the cutting." The latest news comes after senate majority leader John Thune (R-SD) [told *CNN*]() on Tuesday that Cabinet secretaries shouldn't hand over control over the hiring and firing process to Musk and DOGE. "They are going to be better attuned to the individual programs," he said. Meanwhile, Musk appears to have taken Trump's assertion well — at least publicly — tweeting that the Cabinet meeting was "[very productive]()." As [*CNN* reported earlier this week](), Musk has already been trying to disentangle himself from the situation, with Republican representative Derrick Van Orden telling the broadcaster that Musk informed a group of GOP lawmakers that a massive 70,000-employee Veterans Affairs cut "wasn't a DOGE decision." However, it remains unclear what exactly motivated Trump to remind government heads that they're ultimately the ones in charge — not his number one henchman. DOGE has racked up a [number of high-profile lawsuits]() that are starting to reach a new fact-finding phase, *Politico* reports, which could implicate Musk and his gargantuan conflict of interest. Could Trump be getting cold feet and readying himself to throw Musk under the bus? The billionaire certainly wouldn't be the first to land in the president's crosshairs. The optics of a [possible economic downturn](), sparked by a huge spike in unemployment, certainly aren't great. Markets are already reeling from a [bizarre, on-and-off-again trade war]() with trading partners including Canada, Mexico and China. **More on Musk and Trump:** *[Musk Changes Tune, Says He's Not Behind Government Firings]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()