Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Trump Backs Musk as He Hits Federal Workers With Demands and Threats
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 1 month ago on
February 24, 2025

Elon Musk holds up a chainsaw he received from Argentina's President Javier Milei, right, as they arrive to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP File)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump voiced support for Elon Musk’s demand that federal employees explain their recent accomplishments by the end of Monday or risk getting fired, an edict that has spawned new litigation and added to turmoil within the government workforce.

“What he’s doing is saying, ‘Are you actually working?’” Trump said in the Oval Office during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. “And then, if you don’t answer, like, you’re sort of semi-fired or you’re fired, because a lot of people aren’t answering because they don’t even exist.”

The Republican president said that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has found “hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud” as he suggested that federal paychecks are going to nonexistent employees. He did not present evidence for his claims.

“If people don’t respond, it’s very possible that there is no such person, or they aren’t working,” Trump said.

Lawsuit Is Updated Monday

Attorneys representing unions, businesses, veterans and conservation organizations filed an updated lawsuit in federal court in California on Monday, arguing Musk had violated the law with his demand. The Office of Personnel Management, which functions as a human resources agency for the federal government, told employees to detail five things they did last week by the end of Monday.

The lawsuit, spearheaded by the State Democracy Defenders Fund, called the threat of mass firings “one of the most massive employment frauds in the history of this country.”

The White House criticized the litigation.

“In the time it took these employees on taxpayer-funded salaries to file a frivolous lawsuit, they could have briefly recapped their accomplishments to their managers, as is common in the private sector, 100 times over,” said Anna Kelly, a deputy press secretary, in a statement.

Musk is leading Trump’s efforts to overhaul and downsize the federal government, and they’ve already caused upheaval by pushing employees to resign, laying off probationary workers and halting work at some agencies.

However, there are signs Musk is testing the limits of his influence, and some administration officials told employees not to respond to his demand. It has been the most significant public divergence between the billionaire entrepreneur and Senate-approved Cabinet leaders, who have otherwise been enthusiastic about fulfilling Musk’s objectives.

Musk: ‘A Basic Pulse Check’

Trump dismissed the idea there was any kind of split involving his most powerful adviser.

“They don’t mean that in any way combatively with Elon,” he said, adding that “everyone thought it was a pretty ingenious idea.”

Musk on Sunday called his latest request “a very basic pulse check.”

“The reason this matters is that a significant number of people who are supposed to be working for the government are doing so little work that they are not checking their email at all!” Musk wrote on X. “In some cases, we believe non-existent people or the identities of dead people are being used to collect paychecks.”

 

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Merced Police Chief: Local Sexual Assault Exams ‘Worth’ Higher Cost

DON'T MISS

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes to Headline Chukchansi’s Summer Series with ‘Family Reunion Tour’

DON'T MISS

Sue or Hold Back? The University of California Does Both as It Faces Trump’s Wrath

DON'T MISS

Central Unified Takes Additional Steps To Protect Undocumented Students

DON'T MISS

Americans Trade Michelin Stars for Mac and Cheese

DON'T MISS

Dueling Protests Clash at Fresno Tesla Dealership

DON'T MISS

Hamas Says It Accepts New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal but Israel Makes Counter-Offer

DON'T MISS

Andrew Tate’s Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Him of Sexual Assault and Battery in New Lawsuit

DON'T MISS

Protesters Rebelling Against Elon Musk’s Purge of US Government Swarm Tesla Showrooms

DON'T MISS

Plastics Are Seeping Into Farm Fields, Food and Eventually Human Bodies

UP NEXT

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes to Headline Chukchansi’s Summer Series with ‘Family Reunion Tour’

UP NEXT

Sue or Hold Back? The University of California Does Both as It Faces Trump’s Wrath

UP NEXT

Central Unified Takes Additional Steps To Protect Undocumented Students

UP NEXT

Americans Trade Michelin Stars for Mac and Cheese

UP NEXT

Dueling Protests Clash at Fresno Tesla Dealership

UP NEXT

Hamas Says It Accepts New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal but Israel Makes Counter-Offer

UP NEXT

Andrew Tate’s Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Him of Sexual Assault and Battery in New Lawsuit

UP NEXT

Protesters Rebelling Against Elon Musk’s Purge of US Government Swarm Tesla Showrooms

UP NEXT

Plastics Are Seeping Into Farm Fields, Food and Eventually Human Bodies

UP NEXT

Myanmar’s Earthquake Death Toll Jumps to 1,644 as More Bodies Are Recovered From the Rubble

Central Unified Takes Additional Steps To Protect Undocumented Students

18 hours ago

Americans Trade Michelin Stars for Mac and Cheese

19 hours ago

Dueling Protests Clash at Fresno Tesla Dealership

1 day ago

Hamas Says It Accepts New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal but Israel Makes Counter-Offer

1 day ago

Andrew Tate’s Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Him of Sexual Assault and Battery in New Lawsuit

1 day ago

Protesters Rebelling Against Elon Musk’s Purge of US Government Swarm Tesla Showrooms

1 day ago

Plastics Are Seeping Into Farm Fields, Food and Eventually Human Bodies

2 days ago

Myanmar’s Earthquake Death Toll Jumps to 1,644 as More Bodies Are Recovered From the Rubble

2 days ago

Top Vaccine Official Resigns From FDA, Criticizes RFK Jr. for Promoting Misinformation, Lies

2 days ago

If You Want to Ski Affordably Next Season, Buy Now

2 days ago

Merced Police Chief: Local Sexual Assault Exams ‘Worth’ Higher Cost

Last year, The Merced FOCUS reported that for the first time in over a decade, a crucial service for survivors of sexual assault would be of...

17 hours ago

17 hours ago

Merced Police Chief: Local Sexual Assault Exams ‘Worth’ Higher Cost

17 hours ago

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes to Headline Chukchansi’s Summer Series with ‘Family Reunion Tour’

18 hours ago

Sue or Hold Back? The University of California Does Both as It Faces Trump’s Wrath

18 hours ago

Central Unified Takes Additional Steps To Protect Undocumented Students

19 hours ago

Americans Trade Michelin Stars for Mac and Cheese

1 day ago

Dueling Protests Clash at Fresno Tesla Dealership

1 day ago

Hamas Says It Accepts New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal but Israel Makes Counter-Offer

1 day ago

Andrew Tate’s Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Him of Sexual Assault and Battery in New Lawsuit

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend