Elon Musk's rapid and assertive takeover of the US government through DOGE is creating significant friction within the Trump White House. Despite a seemingly amicable public relationship between Musk and President Trump, concerns are brewing among Trump loyalists regarding Musk's influence and the unconventional methods employed by his team. Republican aides and advisors are expressing anxieties about the lack of communication and transparency surrounding DOGE's operations, raising questions about the future of the Trump administration.
Elon Musk and President Donald Trump seem to be on good terms publicly, but behind the scenes, a different story is unfolding. Just two-and-a-half weeks into Trump's second term, tensions have emerged following Musk's DOGE takeover of the US government. According to several Republican aides and advisers close to the administration, this discontent stems primarily from Musk's staff and their influence within the new administration.
'I think it's more the staff who have an issue with Elon than President Trump,' a Republican aide familiar with the discussions surrounding DOGE and the administration told WIRED, requesting anonymity to protect themselves from potential retaliation.Over the past few weeks, Musk and his associates have gained control of various government agencies, granting a group of young, inexperienced engineers with ties to Musk access to highly sensitive federal systems through DOGE. As Musk's team moved swiftly through the federal apparatus over the first weekend of February, a staunch MAGA Republican operative who knows President Trump personally expressed concerns to WIRED. 'There could be a collision course coming here at some point,' they said, worried about the growing influence of Musk within Trump's circle. 'He's getting too big for his breeches.'The motivations behind this staff-level discontent vary. Some Trump campaign veterans hope that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will intervene, while other Republican operatives view the situation as a problem despite having no personal animosity towards Musk. Others might personally or professionally benefit from Musk's removal. Beyond the increasing frustration over Musk causing headaches for the administration, which many Republicans consider more of an optics issue than a full-blown policy disaster, these Republicans have little to no understanding of the proper communication channels between agencies and the White House. On Tuesday, Trump appeared on Fox News to declare that the new DOGE staffers were working within the White House, despite stating he hadn't met them. Minutes earlier, a senior White House official told WIRED that 'DOGE is part of the White House' now. (Confusingly, Trump established DOGE by repurposing the existing US Digital Service as the US DOGE Service, under the Office of Management and Budget, via executive order.) The Trump White House official stated that DOGE briefs them 'every day,' but when asked about the nature of these briefings or if they occurred on a schedule or with early morning priority, a common practice for those liaising between agencies and the White House, they offered no specifics. The DOGE briefings are 'as needed,' the senior White House official said.What distinguishes this staff-level discontent from the concerns raised during the transition about Musk's proximity and influence over Trump at Mar-a-Lago is that actual policy decisions are being made—so many and so rapidly that it's challenging even for the president's most loyal supporters to keep track. While the staff's issues with Musk are relatively straightforward, nobody seems to know how to handle the high velocity and volume of the DOGE government takeover. 'Listen, when the process is going this fast, from extreme outsiders, the communication is bound to be a mess,' says Matthew Bartlett, a Republican operative and former State Department official under Trump during his first term. Bartlett suggests that the rest of Washington is experiencing a firsthand glimpse of the Silicon Valley-influenced attitudes prevalent in the private sector, now embodied by the 20-somethings from DOGE participating in government calls. 'I mean, listen, this goes to the old adage of Steve Jobs ... finding you in the elevator and saying, give me 10 seconds to tell me what you do, and justify your job,' Bartlett claims. 'That is legendary stuff in the private sector—and maybe it worked—but, there are so many nuances to government that it makes addressing and making wide-sweeping changes highly problematic.' Republicans who secured administration jobs aren't entirely surprised by the potential rift. 'Can't say a lot of that surprises me to hear,' an administration source familiar with the discussions told WIRED. Sources indicate that many individuals have turned to Wiles as one of the few individuals capable of attempting to rein in Musk
ELON MUSK DONALD TRUMP DOGE WHITE HOUSE GOVERNMENT OVERHAUL STAFF DISCONTENT REPUBLICAN PARTY
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