Seoul Gazette - Musk stars at Trump's first cabinet meeting

Trump asked tech tycoon Musk, who was wearing a black "Make America Great Again" baseball cap, to stand up and talk about the controversial program of his so-called Department of Government Efficiency.

"If we don't do this, America will go bankrupt," the world's richest man told cabinet members at the White House, adding that he was "taking a lot of flak, and getting a lot of death threats by the way."

The SpaceX and Tesla tycoon at one point said his job was "humble technical support" for Trump's government -- before opening his overcoat to reveal a black t-shirt saying "Tech Support" in large white letters.

Dismissing US media reports that some cabinet members had expressed frustration over DOGE emails sent to all federal employees asking them to justify their jobs or be sacked, Musk said it was the "best cabinet ever" and thanked them for their "support".

Republican Trump, 78, also turned to the top team gathered around a huge wooden table for the first meeting of his second term, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

- 'Throw them out' -

"Is anybody unhappy with Elon? If they are we'll throw them out of here," Trump said, to laughter and applause from the cabinet members.

"Some disagree a little bit, but I will tell you for the most part I think everyone's not only happy, they're thrilled."

The DOGE emails have caused confusion across Washington, with government departments on Monday largely telling told staff to either ignore them or downplayed the risks of not answering it.

Trump insisted however that employees who didn't reply were "on the bubble" and risked losing their positions.

The star role given to Musk, who is officially an advisor not a cabinet member, underscored his status as the most powerful person in Trump's inner circle.

Trump had earlier downplayed reports of tensions over his dominance, posting on his social media platform Truth Social: "ALL CABINET MEMBERS ARE EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH ELON."

The meeting -- and an hour-long question and answer session with media brought in under new White House rules controlling which reporters get access to Trump -- was more broadly a chance for him to tout a dramatic start to his second term.

Trump proclaimed progress on negotiations to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was set to visit the White House on Friday to sign a deal giving Washington access to Kyiv's rare minerals.

Trump has alarmed allies by starting direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He also revealed that he was set to impose 25 percent tariffs on many imports from key ally Europe -- and proclaimed that the "European Union was created to screw the United States."

- Controversial aides -

During the meeting Trump was flanked by aides openly chosen in many cases for their lavish declarations of loyalty -- and for their commitment to bring in the Musk-led cuts, along with Trump's crackdown on diversity.

Many of these top figures were successfully confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate despite unusually extensive questions over their experience or behavior.

Among the most contentious are Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a noted vaccine skeptic, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who has a history of backing Kremlin talking points, and Hegseth, a former Fox News host who has faced allegations of sexual assault.

And in a situation with no real parallel in modern US history, all of these powerful officials are overshadowed by Musk, who helped bankroll Trump's 2024 presidential campaign to the tune of a quarter of a billion dollars.

While classified as a mere "special government employee" and "senior adviser to the president," the South African-born magnate is seen more often at Trump's side than Vice President JD Vance or even First Lady Melania Trump.

As owner of the X social media platform and a key leader in the US space program, his influence percolates through almost every corner of current Washington politics.

K.Han--SG