Before the fight with Rubio, Musk was reportedly going back and forth with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Duffy told Musk that young staffers at DOGE were trying to lay off air traffic controllers amid a string of deadly plane crashes in the United States, according to The Times.

President Trump on Friday told reporters that there was no "clash" between Musk and Rubio during a Thursday meeting.

Donald Trump has denied reports of a heated exchange between Elon Musk and Marco Rubio during a closed-door Cabinet meeting. While sources suggest Musk and Rubio clashed over government budget cuts, Trump insists the meeting was “harmonious.

His unusual governing arrangement with President Trump is opening Republicans up to being yoked politically to Mr. Musk, who polls show is broadly unpopular.