Elon Musk suffers 'setbacks' while 'unnerving even some veteran Trump officials': NYT
The richest man in the world has suffered a "series of setbacks" while embracing a fringe MAGA figure whose growing influence has "unnerved even some veteran" members of Donald Trump's administration, a new report states.
Elon Musk enjoyed a smooth early ride in Trump's second administration, but lately is hitting bumps in the road, according to the New York Times.
"At the start of the new Trump administration, Elon Musk’s influence seemed to have no limits," reported the Times' political reporter Jess Bidgood. She then added, "Over the past couple of weeks, though, Trump’s highest-profile governing partner has faced setbacks that raise questions about his enduring power and relationships in the White House."
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Recounting Musk's purported missteps, Bidgood said, "Some of my colleagues reported today that the acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service was being replaced after the Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, complained that Musk had his preferred candidate installed in the role without Bessent’s blessing. It was only on Tuesday that Trump had appointed Musk’s choice, Gary Shapley, to run the agency temporarily. But since then, my colleagues reported, Bessent secured the president’s approval to send Musk’s pick packing."
This, according to the reporter, is "the latest bump in the road during Musk’s three-month crash course in government."
"He has repeatedly rankled certain members of Trump’s cabinet by failing to coordinate with them. His overall progress with the Department of Government Efficiency has been slower than he imagined. He was practically admonished by Trump in public after a plan for him to receive a classified briefing on China was leaked and then scuttled," the report states. "He suffered a high-profile political defeat after inserting himself into this month’s Wisconsin Supreme Court race. And despite his public opposition to Trump’s tariffs — and the trade adviser promoting them — he is not believed to have played a substantial role in persuading the president to change course."
The reporter further noted, "As these obstacles have piled up, I’ve noticed that we haven’t seen quite so much of a billionaire who usually possesses no shortage of main-character energy."
Musk's embrace of fringe Trump ally Laura Loomer has also reportedly raised some red flags, even for those closest to the President.
"It’s notable that Musk has started taking cues from Loomer, with whom he’s had a rocky relationship. He reinstated her account on the social media platform after buying it in 2022, earning her praise. But they clashed over Musk’s support for visas for foreign tech workers after Trump won the election last fall. Loomer accused Musk of censoring her and of stripping a verification check mark from her account," Bidgood reported. "What appears to be Loomer’s growing influence among Trump and some of his allies has unnerved even some veteran Trump officials."