Elon Musk’s attempts at unchecked power in Donald Trump’s administration rubbed many aides the wrong way but they were really annoyed by his apparent attitude toward one in particular: Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
The Tesla founder treated Wiles, the most powerful woman in the White House, like a ‘secretary,’ a source told DailyMail.com.
Wiles is not to be annoyed or underestimated. Nicknamed the ‘Ice Maiden’ for her cool, unflustered demeanor, Wiles earned accolades for bringing order to the Trump chaos during the 2024 presidential campaign.
But her attempts to do the same in the White House were, at times, reportedly unwittingly undercut by Musk, who used his massive platform on X – where he has 218.5 million followers – to make announcements at the drop of a hat and throw firebombs of rhetoric into the ether.
For his part, President Trump made it clear to Musk that he was a member of the staff and Wiles was in charge.
‘It has been reiterated to him in ways that, yes, he reports to the chief of staff,’ a Trump aide told NBC News of Musk.
Elon Musk and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles walk to Air Force One
Wiles wasn’t the only person Musk clashed with. He and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had it out during a Cabinet meeting – an argument that took place in front of Trump and Wiles.
Many Trump officials – including Wiles – were frustrated that Musk wasn’t sharing his plans before he made public announcements about what his DOGE team was doing to their agencies.
His lack of coordination would throw off the White House message of the day and rollout plans for the administration’s initiatives.
Read More
All the signs Elon Musk was on brink of stepping down from DOGE after months of scandal and chaos
Musk, the founder of multiple companies and the richest man in the world, is used to being at the top of the pecking order.
This is his first time working in the government and there have been indications he’s not completely clear on how the bureaucracy works or how to follow the chain of command.
Wiles encouraged the Cabinet secretaries to ‘speak their minds’ when they met with Trump, Vanity Fair reported.
In response, Trump made it clear that the Cabinet secretaries were in charge of their departments. Musk could advise but the final decisions were theirs.
Musk, perhaps aware of tensions, tried to make amends. He offered to carry Wiles bag for her when they were walking across the South Lawn to board Marine One. He had dinner at Mar-a-Lago with Rubio.
Now Trump has reportedly informed his Cabinet and inner circle that Musk will be stepping back from his high-profile government role in the coming weeks.
The Tesla and SpaceX boss will soon be returning to the business world, Politico reported.
Revelations about the shock move rattled the stock market and stunned Washington.
Musk’s designation as a special government employee meant he was scheduled to step down in May, but he is now leaving early in a cloud of controversy.
It represents an apparent sea change in Trump’s relationship with Musk from last month when White House sources were suggesting that the Tesla boss was ‘here to stay.’
Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt immediately poured cold water on claims of a rift, declaring that Politico’s ‘scoop is garbage.’
Leavitt added: ‘Elon Musk and President Trump have both *publicly* stated that Elon will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at DOGE is complete.’
Musk echoed her, retweeting her post and adding his own commentary: ‘Yeah, fake news.’
Elon Musk was the biggest contributor to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign – above the two men at a rally in Butler, Pa., in October 2024 after the assassination attempt there
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in the Oval Office – her nickname is ‘Ice Maiden’
Elon Musk walks with Susie Wiles on the South Lawn, heading toward Marine One
Within the White House, Musk had become a controversial figure due to his slash and burn style of cutting down the federal government.
He also just sank $20 million into Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race only to have his Republican candidate lose.
And stock in Tesla has dropped sharply with sales down and its car lots being set on fire.
But the report Musk is going back to his business roots sent the company’s shares rocketing again.
Trump empowered Musk to bring his business acumen to the government, charging him with reshaping the federal bureaucracy.
The decision caused immediate controversy leading to questions as to whether Musk, whose SpaceX company has billions in government contracts, had a conflict of interest.
Additionally, Musk’s work to cut the size of the federal government has resulted in mass firings and lawsuits against the Trump administration.
He’s also proven unpredictable.
In all, Musk began to be seen as a political liability by some. The Democratic candidate in Wisconsin won, in part, by shaping the race as ‘The People vs. Elon Musk.’
Publicly Trump has supported Musk, keeping him close and visible. Musk has been with him in the Oval Office, walked the path from the White House to Marine One, and gotten rides on Air Force One.
The president even turned the South Lawn of the White House into a Tesla show room after the company stock sank. Trump wrote Musk a personal check for one of the electric cars.
Privately, he’s told Cabinet secretaries they are in charge of their agencies.
Elon Musk is designated as a ‘special government employee,’ which has a 130-day time limit
Elon Musk speaking at President Trump’s March 24th Cabinet meeting
Musk is designated as a ‘special government employee,’ which has a 130-day time limit.
Many thought Trump would find a way around that restriction. The designation also exempts Musk from some ethics and conflict-of-interest rules.
The 130-day period is expected to expire in late May or early June.
And it appears the president is ready to let go of the man who spent $200 million to get him elected.
But many don’t expect Musk to entirely disappear.
One aide told Politico that anyone who thinks Musk is going to disappear entirely from Trump’s orbit is ‘fooling themselves.’
The Tesla founder will likely still have regular access to Trump and an open invitation to the Oval Office.
And he’s likely to still hang out a Mar-a-Lago, where he and Trump frequently dine together.
Musk has cemented himself as one of the most powerful figures in the Republican Party, using his vast financial resources to make himself a force to be reckon with.
But Democrats are expected to use him as a boogeyman – much as the Republicans did to Nancy Pelosi – in the upcoming midterm election where control of Congress is at stake.
A recent NBC News poll found a majority of voters nationwide (51%) hold a negative view of Musk, while 39% viewed him positively.
Susie Wiles with Donald Trump at a football game in October 2024
Elon Musk, joined by his son X Musk, with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office
Musk will also have to deal with the fallout of Trump’s decisions when he gets back to the business world.
Tesla will be subject to Trump’s automotive tariffs as its key suppliers are in Mexico and China.
‘Important to note that Tesla is NOT unscathed here,’ Musk wrote on social media last week of the tariffs. ‘The cost impact is not trivial.’
Trump’s 25 percent tariff is set to go into effect on April 2 as part of the president’s broader trade war.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s global vehicle deliveries fell 13% in the first quarter from a year ago, in what investors saw a sign of backlash against Musk’s government work.