The tension between two billionaire Donald Trump advisors, Department of Government Efficiency boss Elon Musk, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, reached a boiling point last week, according to a report.
The two men got into a shoutfest match in a White House hallway, with one insider claiming that “the F-bombs started flying” as the argument escalated, according to a report from Axios journalist Marc Caputo. Although the heated argument didn’t turn physical, the incident was a demonstration of the growing power struggle between Musk and members of President Trump’s cabinet. “It was two billionaire, middle-aged men thinking it was WWE in the hall of the West Wing,” a witness said.
Almost Like a Battlefield
X
“Elon was shouting and rambling and Scott just wasn’t putting up with it,” the source who spoke to the outlet continued. “It was quite a scene. It was loud. And I mean, loud,” another witness added.
Another White House insider said the fight stemmed from the two men’s opposing ideas on how reforms should be carried out, with Musk preferring a more aggressive and forceful approach.
“Bessent has two mandates: reform and stabilize. Elon has one mandate: break things in the process of reform,” the source said.
The argument reached to such a level that one staffer had to intervene between Musk and Bessent to stop things from escalating further, the report said.
Meanwhile, The New York Times, which first reported the story, mentioned that the argument centered around a disagreement over who should head the IRS.
Gary Shapley, who was initially appointed as acting IRS commissioner after being recommended by Musk, assumed the role without notifying Bessent about the change. A few days later, Trump removed Shapley and replaced him with Bessent’s pick, Michael Faulkender.
White House Downplays Incident
X
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also did not deny the clash between the two advisors but described it to reporters on Wednesday as a sign of a productive exchange of ideas.
“It’s no secret President Trump has put together a team of people who are incredibly passionate about the issues impacting our country,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in response.
“Disagreements are a normal part of any healthy policy process,” she added. “And ultimately everyone knows they serve at the pleasure of President Trump.”
However, this wasn’t the first time that Musk clashed publicly with senior members of the Trump administration. He had publicly advocating on X for Lutnick to be appointed as Treasury Secretary, claiming Lutnick “would actually enact change.” Trump, instead, finally chose Bessent for the role.
“Bessent is a business-as-usual choice, whereas [Howard Lutnick] will actually enact change,” Musk wrote in November.
“Business-as-usual is driving America bankrupt, so we need change.”
Musk later got into a heated exchange on X with Peter Navarro, the senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, and even at one point called him a “moron.”
Musk told Tesla shareholders on Tuesday that he plans to scale back his presence by the end of May, as his role as a special government employee is set to end. However, he also said that he would still be wish to give one or two days a week to matters related to DOGE.
