Tech billionaire and newly minted “special government employee” Elon Musk has received quiet White House reminders in recent days that while he has wide, nearly unprecedented latitude to slash spending and reorient the federal government at a breakneck pace, his power is not unchecked.
Trump has suggested publicly, and aides have signaled behind the scenes, that Musk is still a staffer and needs to report to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
“I’m not sure it was his preferred direction, and it did not seem like he was expecting it,” a Trump aide told NBC News of Musk’s being told he needed to answer to Wiles. “But it has been reiterated to him in ways that, yes, he reports to the chief of staff.”
Another person familiar with the situation, who was granted anonymity to speak freely, reiterated the sentiment and added that Musk has acknowledged Wiles is the leader of the team at the White House.
Wiles told NBC News that she has “a very productive and friendly relationship” with Musk.
A spokesperson for the Department of Government Efficiency, the agency Musk runs, did not reply to a request for comment.