The TOI correspondent from Washington:Elon Musk has been brought back to earth — for now. The flaming out of SpaceX‘s Starship was not the only setback for the world’s richest man and Trump’s DOGE major domo on Thursday. Hours before the mishap, the US President clipped his wings in a MAGA power struggle, telling his cabinet secretaries that they—not Musk—have the final authority over staffing and policy decisions within their agencies.
Trump summoned a cabinet meeting — at which Musk was also present — after disquiet among other MAGA principals about the axe the DOGE honcho was wielding to cull federal government personnel and budgets, exemplified by his flaunting a chainsaw and posting a meme that described him as Dogefather in a reprise of the poster for the movie Godfather. Advising that he should use a “scalpel” rather than a “hatchet,” Trump said he has instructed the secretaries (ministers in Indian parlance) and leadership (of other departments) to work with DOGE on cost cutting measures and staffing.
“As the Secretaries learn about, and understand, the people working for the various Departments, they can be very precise as to who will remain, and who will go. The combination of them, Elon, DOGE, and other great people will be able to do things at a historic level,” he said in a post, indicating that secretaries can make the final call on the massive layoffs Elon “chainsaw” Musk and his DOGE has initiated.
‘I don’t want to see a big cut where a lot of good people are cut.
Elon and the group are going to be watching them, and if they can cut, it’s better. And if they don’t cut, then Elon will do the cutting,” Trump said, walking a fine line between the two sides by adding that “It’s very important that we cut levels down to where they should be, but it’s also important to keep the best and most productive people.”
Musk was present at the meeting and is reported to have agreed with Trump’s clarification of his role as an adviser rather than a unilateral decision-maker.
The drawdown came after some department heads, notably FBI Director Kash Patel and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, pushed back on Musk’s directives, including an email asking federal employees to list the work they had done during the week, and court rulings that challenged en masse firing of personnel. US intelligence agencies in particular are in ferment over the directive since spooks are not expected to disclose their work.
More unrest is in store in the coming days after reports that the State Department is shutting down several US consulates — mainly in Europe — to cull staff in line with the DOGE mission to reduce costs and personnel. Intelligence agencies are said to be concerned about agents losing operational efficiency since many of them work in embassies and consulates under diplomatic cover.
While Mexico, Canada, China, and India have the biggest US diplomatic presence in terms of consulates and personnel, the Trump-Musk cuts are mainly aimed at Europe, with which Washington’s relations have become adversarial. In keeping with the Trump White House’s sharply deteriorating ties with its European allies, most of the dozen consulates marked for closure are in France (Bordeaux, Rennes, Lyon, and Strasbourg) and Germany (Leipzig, Hamburg, and Düsseldorf).
Closer home, US ties with neighboring Canada hit the pits this week after what was reportedly a profanity-laden phone call between Trump and Trudeau following Washington’s 25 percent tariff torment that has driven the normally cool Canadians to red hot anger. Although Trump eventually put a hold on tariff on many items, Ottawa is now digging in and declining a reciprocal easing, saying it is an “all or nothing” situation.
Canadian provinces are now boycotting Kentucky bourbon and California wines, and Trudeau himself has suggested Canadian boycott travel to the U.S, saying “We’re going to choose to not go on vacation to Florida or Old Orchard Beach or wherever… we’re probably going to continue booing the American National Anthem.” In turn, Trump, who believes he has the wood on Canada, has announced what is virtually a boycott of Canadian lumber vital to the housing industry, by removing restrictions on felling in the US.
Trump has repeatedly trolled Trudeau (and Canada) calling him “governor” of the US’s “51st state,” and after absorbing the slights for a few weeks, the Canadian PM is now striking back, addressing Trump as “Donald” which the US President’s aides say is insulting.