Musk and Rubio Clash at US Government Meeting

(Patria) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House advisor Elon Musk clashed on Thursday during a cabinet meeting, while President Donald Trump watched, over the level of staff reductions Rubio had made, the New York Times reported, as cited by Reuters.

The drama unfolded at a meeting where Trump told his cabinet chiefs that they, not Musk, have the final say on staffing and policy in their agencies, Reuters stated.

The Times reports that Musk, who Trump tasked with eliminating large parts of the federal bureaucracy, accused Rubio of not having fired "anyone" and of resisting his efforts to reduce staff.

Rubio pushed back, saying that 1,500 State Department employees had taken early retirement buyouts, the Times writes. He was quoted as sarcastically asking if Musk wanted to rehire all those people just so he could stage firings.

The meeting was called after complaints from agency heads to top White House officials, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, about the heavy-handed approach of Musk's operation. The White House Office of Legislative Affairs has been flooded in recent days with calls from frustrated Republican members of Congress across the country, some of whom have faced voter anger at home.

Trump on Friday denied the Times report when asked about it during a session with reporters in the Oval Office.

"There was no conflict, I was there, you are just a troublemaker," he told the reporter who asked about the report.

"Elon gets along great with Marco and they are both doing a fantastic job. Marco has done an incredible job as Secretary of State. And Elon is a unique guy and he has done a fantastic job," the US President added.