Turning point! Internal contradictions erupt Trump "tears up" Musk?

At the beginning of Trump's second term, his attitude towards "merit" Musk seems to be quietly changing. From the initial "favored" treatment to the current public "criticism," even restricting his power in government reform, power struggles and policy games within the White House are coming to the surface. Global Network quoted the media as saying that the conflict that erupted at the cabinet meeting on Thursday, foreshadows a major turning point in the relationship between Trump and Musk. At the end of February, at his first cabinet meeting of the second term, Trump publicly endorsed Musk, even saying "whoever is dissatisfied with Elon, just get rid of them." At that time, Musk wore a "MAGA" hat, was entrusted with an important task by Trump, to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), vowing to cut $1 trillion from the federal government's annual $7 trillion spending. However, just a few days later, the wind changed. According to media reports, at the White House meeting last Thursday, Trump hinted that DOGE led by Musk was too rash on the issue of layoffs. After the meeting, Trump even posted on Truth Social that future layoffs will use a "scalpel" rather than a "machete." The Wall Street Journal analysis believes that this marks the Trump administration's first public adjustment to the direction of the DOGE project. Debate in the White House: Rubio and Musk clash head-on The New York Times detailed the intense clashes that erupted at the cabinet meeting last Thursday. Secretary of State Rubio and Musk engaged in a heated argument over the issue of layoffs. Musk accused Rubio of not effectively reducing State Department staff, while Rubio countered that more than 1,500 State Department officials had retired early and detailed the department's restructuring plan. Musk did not buy Rubio's explanation, even mocking him as "only good at performing on television." Faced with a stalemate, Trump eventually intervened, praised Rubio's work, and said "everyone needs to collaborate." In addition to Rubio, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also clashed with Musk over layoffs at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Musk accused Duffy of lying, while Duffy insisted that Musk's team was trying to lay off air traffic controllers. In the end, Trump demanded that Duffy hire a "genius" from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) as an air traffic controller. "Surgical scalpel" replaces "machete": strategic adjustment in layoffs Trump made it clear on social media that the next phase of federal layoffs will be done in a more precise "surgical scalpel" manner, rather than Musk's previous "machete" approach. Behind this shift is growing unease within the Republican Party over the speed and scope of DOGE layoffs. Reportedly, Musk-led layoffs have affected at least 20,000 federal employees, sparking protests in many areas. House Speaker Mike Johnson even suggested that Republican members avoid holding face-to-face meetings in their districts. Faced with pressure, Musk had to provide personal phone numbers to some Republican senators to ease party discontent. In addition to political pressure, DOGE's layoff measures also face legal challenges. According to reports, a federal judge has prohibited the Office of Personnel Management from firing probationary employees in specific departments. Some laid-off employees from the National Science Foundation and the National Nuclear Security Administration have also been rehired. Power reshaping: Cabinet ministers regain control The New York Times pointed out that the meeting on Thursday was a potential turning point in the early weeks of Trump's second term. Trump specifically stated that in the future, department secretaries will be responsible for layoffs, and Musk's team will only provide recommendations. Although Musk remains Trump's largest political donor, his power in government reform has been significantly weakened. The New York Times cited informed sources as saying that this meeting exposed tensions within Trump's team, with cabinet members generally feeling frustrated with Musk's team's "disruptive government" approach. Future direction: Cooperation or rupture? Although Trump tried to balance interests at the meeting, the conflict between Musk and cabinet members has become public. Musk claimed on X that the meeting was "productive," but the New York Times pointed out that he did not appear "so enthusiastic" at the meeting. The future direction of the relationship between the Trump administration and Musk is not yet clear. However, it is certain that the meeting on Thursday marked a major turning point in the relationship between the two parties. Trump's change in attitude towards Musk, as well as the resistance of cabinet ministers to the DOGE project, indicate that there will be more power struggles and policy adjustments within the US government in the future. This article is reprinted from "Wall Street View" by Pan Lingfei; GMTEight Editor: Liu Jiayin.