When Billionaire Elon Musk posted on X last weekend that all federal employees would soon receive an E email that demanded details of their work from the last week, senior officials in the White House – who had not been informed of the plan – originally became Caught by guard, told several sources of ABC News.
Musk’s e -mail would then offset widespread confusion over the federal government. It created tensions among members of Trump’s cabinet when several agency executives told their employees to keep in mind until they were informed of the situation themselves.
At one point shortly after the E email on Saturday night, sources who are familiar with the discussions said senior staff in the White House discussing, issued guidance to their own employees and informed them that they did not need to respond. Late Monday night, the Office of Personnel Administration said that the White House staff were exempt from the exercise, referring to the President’s Register.
The lack of communication between Musk and President Donald Trump’s top advisers in the White House responsible for performing his second-term agenda is the latest in a series of controversial movements from the world’s richest man since he arrived in Washington last month, which has begun to divide some of the closest to the president.
Elon Musk has a chainsaw when he arrives on stage at the conservative political action conference (CPAC) at Gaylord National Resort Hotel and Convention Center, February 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, MD.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Musk’s whirlwind approach – marked with rapid slit of the federal workforce and dominant national headlines – has given rise to a gap among some in the White House and Trump’s inner circle, Sources of ABC News tell. Some close to the president have brushed at Musk’s frenetic pace and his apparent ignoring coordination with senior officials around the president. Others, however, have expressed support for the tactics and embraced Musk’s rapid efforts so far, where they pay tribute to them as a long delayed shake by a stagnant system.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on a press briefing on Tuesday that “the president and Elon and his entire cabinet work as a unified team, and they implement these very healthy-Sans solutions,” adds more than 1 million federal workers had responded to Musk’s “What did you do last week?” E -mail, including oneself. Leavitt said Musk would attend Trump’s first cabinet meeting for Wednesday.
But as musk has torn through the federal workforce at a broken pace, by senior employees said sources that have fluffed feathers among some top officials who consider the billionaire’s methods as increasingly out of control.

Elon Musk, trade secretary Howard Lutnick and the White House Deputy Head of Politics, Stephen Miller attend a meeting between India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump in the White House in Washington, February 13, 2025.
Francis Chung/Epa-Effe/Shutterstock
But while Musk has some offenders in Trump’s orbit, he has received the support of some of the most powerful votes around the president, including Stephen Miller, deputy White House for Politics and American Security Advisor for Homeland, and Katie Miller, a senior adviser to Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency efforts that are married to Stephen Miller, sources said.
Even with some in the White House that were frustrated with aspects of Musk’s first few weeks in Washington, sources said that there is hesitation of intervening, given not only billionaire’s enormous wealth, but perhaps even more importantly -er profile and his ownership by X.
Some people dealing with Musk have withdrawn that Tesla CEO will be unlikely to be back in anytime soon and are instead focused on managing the situation as best they can until his special government contract ends if Musk plans to leave Washington , so.
“Some love it, others can’t wait for [Musk] To leave – the bottom line is that he doesn’t come anywhere soon, ”a source known told ABC News.
In response to this story, a senior official in the White House told ABC News, “Any insinuation that senior leadership in Trump the White House is not advisable correctly whether Dog’s actions are completely false. As a sge, Elon Musk works directly with the president of the United States and senior members in his team to coordinate effective and effective execution of the president’s agenda. “
“The American people support the mission of the Dog. See no further than the Harris vote, where the vast majority of Americans support Dog’s mission. Anyone who is seen as objecting to this mission in both parties objects to long -due changes in Washington. If you do not want to be part of the solution, you are now part of the problem, ”added the official.

Elon Musk speaks as US President Donald Trump responds to the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, February 11, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
The South African -born businessman spent $ 270 million to help Trump be re -elected. When Trump returned to the office on January 20, he empowered Musk to cut federal expenses and make key decisions about the future of the United States as a main adviser in the newly created DODE.
ABC News reported earlier that Musk initially would have an office in West Wing but told people he thought what he got was too small, more people who were familiar with his comments, ABC News told and has since taken offices In Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where he brought sleep bellows to his young employees as they worked deep at night.
Musk has been appointed as a special employee of the government. His companies Tesla and SpaceX have been awarded $ 18 billion in federal contracts in the last decade. Some of this money has come from agencies that the president asked Musk to go through, but Musk rejected the notion that there could be conflicts of interest.
“No, because you have to look at the individual contract and say, first and foremost, I’m not the one you know, hand in the contract – it’s people at Spacex,” he told ABC News earlier this month.