Elon Musk gets White House reminders his power is not unchecked

Tech billionaire and newly minted “special government employee“ Elon Musk has received quiet White House reminders in recent days that while he has wide, nearly unprecedented latitude to slash spending and reorient the federal government at a breakneck pace, his power is not unchecked. 

Trump has suggested publicly, and aides have signaled behind the scenes, that Musk is still a staffer and needs to report to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

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“I’m not sure it was his preferred direction, and it did not seem like he was expecting it,” a Trump aide told NBC News of Musk being told he needed to answer to Wiles. “But it has been reiterated to him in ways that, yes, he reports to the chief of staff.”

Another person familiar with the situation granted anonymity to speak freely reiterated that sentiment and added that Musk has acknowledged she’s the leader of the team at the White House.

Wiles told NBC News that she has “a very productive and friendly relationship” with Musk.

A spokesperson for the Department of Government Efficiency, the agency Musk runs, did not return a request for comment. 

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Trump told reporters on Monday that he continues to support DOGE’s efforts but added that Musk has the authority to take action only if “we agree with him.” Trump did not outline whether he disagrees with any of Musk’s actions to date.

“He has access only to letting people go that he thinks are no good, if we agree with him. And it’s only if we agree with him,” Trump said. “Elon can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval, and we will give him the approval where appropriate. Where it’s not appropriate, we won’t.”

Still, Musk — whose effort is supposed to last 18 months — clearly has access that most normal White House staffers don’t. The person familiar with the dynamic and the conversations said Musk and Trump speak regularly by phone, with the calls going both ways. 

“That’s the one person who the richest man in the world will be deferential to — the most powerful man in the world,” a person close to both Trump and Musk said. 

Trump’s biggest political donor has taken up a perch in the grand Secretary of War Suite, according to the person familiar with the dynamic. The historic suite consists of 10 rooms in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the West Wing. 

Musk and his team — some as young as 19 years old, and many without any government experience whatsoever — have spread out across the federal government, treating it like a private company they need to downsize and modernize. 

Musk has received access to sensitive government databases and the Treasury Department’s payment system, despite the objection of a longtime top agency official. The person familiar with the situation said Musk was able to see the payment system data but not affect payments.

He and his DOGE effort were behind a broad effort trying to convince a sizable percentage of federal employees to take a “deferred resignation“ in an attempt to shrink the workforce. A spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management told NBC News Tuesday that more than 20,000 have accepted the offer and that the number of resignations is “rapidly growing” ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline to do so. 

Musk is also pushing to shut down an entire federal agency: the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has been thrown into crisis with funding stopped and employees locked out of the building. 

And on Tuesday, the Trump administration moved to exert more control over the government’s technology infrastructure — a move that will further Musk’s goals.

Musk has bragged about his exploits in posts on X, the social media platform he owns that, at times, he has used as a sounding board to determine his next target.

A Trump ally who worked on his transition team said that Musk is moving fast out of necessity. 

“He’s moving at light speed in a way that we’ve never seen before, delivering on reforms that have been promised not just by Trump, but by the conservative movement for 45 years,” the person said. “That’s the only way it can be done, because the more time you waste, you just are allowing yourself to get deep-stated into the mud.”

The person close to both Musk and Trump but not directly involved in DOGE praised Musk for his willingness to “break things” in the federal government that needed overhaul.

Musk’s frenetic pace and early success at disrupting huge swaths of the federal government, has given the appearance to many that Musk is functionally a shadow president, even as those inside the White House try to reinforce the idea that he must follow, at least on paper, a chain of command.

“It 1,000% feels like Elon Musk is running the government,” said an official at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, who was granted anonymity to speak freely out of fear of retaliation. 

“I’m also incredibly frustrated that as a private citizen, as a human, I do not feel safe voicing my personal opinions because they contradict those of Elon Musk and other people, because I’m afraid that I will lose my job without cause,” the person added. 

“He’s running way more and has more influence than any one individual,” a USAID contractor let go after DOGE’s actions said. “Again, unelected, un-Senate-approved, unvetted. I think all those things are important. He has an incredible influence on the White House.”

Musk also has a key ally in the Justice Department.

On Monday, Ed Martin, the Trump-appointed interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said his prosecutors are preparing to go after those who publicly identify the small collection of engineers who are playing a key role in DOGE’s efforts. Martin did not specify who may face prosecution for naming the Musk engineers, or which federal laws were allegedly violated.

“Our initial review of the evidence presented to us indicates that certain individuals and/or groups have committed acts that appear to violate the law in targeting DOGE employees,” Martin said in a statement. “We are in contact with FBI and other law-enforcement partners to proceed rapidly.” 

Muck quickly responded on X to the announcement with a warning: “Don’t mess with @DOGE.”