The climate is far from calm between Elon Musk and members of Donald Trump's cabinet.
The insistence on staff cuts by the head of Doge , the government's efficiency department, is said to have particularly irritated Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
There was even a heated debate between the two in front of the president.
According to what the New York Times reports , during a meeting at the White House, Rubio openly criticized Musk for effectively dismantling the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, which falls under his jurisdiction.
"Musk is not telling the truth," Rubio reportedly said, referring to the 1,500 State Department officials who have received early retirement incentives.
Rubio then presented his plans to reorganize the department, while Trump and other cabinet members watched the clash.
Another tense moment occurred when Musk argued with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy about air traffic control systems.
Duffy complained that Musk's team was trying to cut air traffic control staff at a time when the country is facing a crisis after the worst plane crash in 15 years, La Repubblica writes.
"What should I do? I have more plane crashes and your team wants me to fire the air traffic controllers?".
Meanwhile, when Trump was asked about this situation, he said that "there was no clash" between Rubio and Musk./ New York Times