Billionaire Elon Musk and lawyer Boris Epshteyn, prominent figures close to President-elect Trump, are reportedly at odds over the selection of Cabinet members.
Musk is a major campaign donor and has recently become a fixture on the president-elect's side, tapped to lead efforts to make government more efficient. Mr. Epshtein is a lawyer and has been a strategist for President Trump for many years.
According to axios report Early Monday morning, a “heated discussion” between Musk and Epshteyn took place last Wednesday at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. Three people told Axios about the “massive explosions,” including one in which Musk accused Epshteyn of leaking personnel details to the media. Epshteyn reportedly denied the allegations.
The report said Musk is concerned about Epshteyn's influence in Trump's decision-making process regarding cabinet selections. Epsiszyn supported Trump's legal picks announced last week, including the nomination of now-former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for attorney general. This has sparked opposition and confusion from many Republicans.
President Trump's criminal defense attorneys Todd Blanche and Emile Bove have been appointed to top positions at the Justice Department. He also plans to nominate D. John Sauer, an appellate lawyer who argued President Trump's presidential immunity case before the Supreme Court earlier this year, as attorney general. All of these positions will come under Gaetz's oversight as attorney general.
Mr. Musk has also pushed for Cabinet reshuffles, particularly pushing for Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick to become Treasury secretary rather than Key Square Group founder Scott Bessent.
Musk is expected to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) along with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Hill has reached out to Trump's team for comment.
