Tech billionaire Elon Musk might claim he’ll soon step back from Washington as Tesla sales nosedive, but there are many reasons to get rid of him right now, starting with his total lack of professionalism.
According to Axios, Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent got into a full-blown screaming match in the Oval Office, within earshot of President Donald Trump. The two reportedly continued their argument in the hallway, where they were eventually separated like middle schoolers.
“It was quite a scene. It was loud. And I mean, loud,” one witness told Axios.
Another described it as “two billionaire, middle-aged men thinking it was WWE in the hall of the West Wing.” (It’s worth noting, though, that Bessent is not a billionaire—just a run-of-the-mill multimillionaire.)
The near-brawl stemmed from a turf war over who should lead the IRS. Musk backed Gary Shapley, who was named acting commissioner shortly before the fight. Bessent wanted his deputy, Michael Faulkender, to take the role and accused Musk of going over his head to get his way. Which, let’s be honest, is Musk’s entire MO. He did the same thing to Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he helped shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development, which is technically under Rubio’s jurisdiction.
When Bessent confronted Musk, the “F bombs started to fly,” one source told Axios.
Bessent reportedly accused Musk of failing to meet even the basic expectations at the Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk leads. Musk, in turn, called Bessent a “Soros agent” who ran a “failed hedge fund.”
To be clear, these two were never exactly allies. Musk had opposed Bessent’s nomination to lead the Treasury Department and lobbied for Howard Lutnick, now the commerce secretary, to get the post.
Still, this latest blowup is flat-out embarrassing. Two grown men almost brawled in the White House, and then the details leaked to the press within days. Talk about dysfunction.
And dysfunction seems par for the course with Musk, who has clashed with several Cabinet members, including Rubio and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Both have accused Musk of abusing his power at DOGE and interfering in agencies they oversee. Just last month, Musk called White House trade adviser Peter Navarro a “moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks.” He may not be wrong, but saying that publicly about someone he works with is wildly unprofessional.
Many federal officials have stopped taking Musk seriously. The Washington Post reported that top human resource officers across the government largely ignored Musk’s demand that federal workers send in five weekly accomplishments or be fired. The Office of Personnel Management considered the policy “voluntary,” according to the Post.
Instead of acknowledging what’s obvious—that Musk’s grip on power is slipping—the White House offered another tired “boys will be boys” excuse.
“It’s no secret President Trump has put together a team of people who are incredibly passionate about the issues impacting our country,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said about the Musk-Bessent spat. “Disagreements are a normal part of any healthy policy process. … Ultimately, everyone knows they serve at the pleasure of President Trump.”
Bessent seems to have won this round. Just days after being tapped, Shapley was out and replaced by—who else?—Faulkender.
It’s clear that Musk’s influence in the White House is waning. Though he isn’t known for honesty, Musk claims he’ll work for DOGE only one or two days a week starting next month, and his “special government employee” status is set to expire soon.
If he keeps burning bridges on the way out, maybe the country won’t have to keep hearing from him regularly. We’re not holding our breath—but we can hope.