A longtime Donald Trump adviser and Elon Musk had a “massive blowup” in front of Mar-a-Lago guests last week, the latest sign of “tensions” between the men.
The incident broke out after a “heated discussion” led Musk to accuse Boris Epshteyn of leaking Trump’s cabinet picks to the media, Axios reported. Epshteyn is said to have responded by telling Musk he “didn’t know what he was talking about.”
That encounter, also described as being a “huge explosion,” reportedly occurred at a dinner table inside Trump’s club. The president-elect’s transition team and Musk declined to comment to Axios. Epshteyn, the longtime coordinator of Trump’s legal defense, referred the website to Trump’s transition team.
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Axios’ report did not specify if Trump was present for the argument.
Those who’ve hung around Mar-a-Lago since Election Day weren’t surprised by Musk and Epshteyn’s beef. Axios’ sources said Trump advisers and confidants saw “tensions between them bubble up during the transition meetings.”
Specifically, Axios reported that Epshteyn has “bristled” at Musk’s questioning of the qualifications for his preferred cabinet candidates.
Epshteyn, 42, has been a close adviser to Trump since his 2016 campaign. He’s reportedly had a heavy hand in advising Trump’s appointments, which included the polarizing pick of Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Musk, a 53-year-old MAGA newcomer who pumped $119 million into the president-elect’s campaign, is also said to have Trump’s ear regarding appointments.
Musk has recently pushed to have Trump’s transition co-chair, Howard Lutnick, be named Treasury secretary over the hedge fund manager Scott Bessent. Both men have been actively vying for the position, which has reportedly left Trump annoyed.
Sources told The New York Times the annoyance stems in part from Lutnick hovering around Trump too often in recent weeks. Trump is also said to have bristled at Lutnick’s performance as transition chief, believing he may have manipulated things for his own personal benefit.
Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr have both publicly thrown their weight behind Lutnick to lead the Department of Treasury, but that may do more harm than good for their preferred candidate. Musk’s public fight over the role has also irritated Trump and other aides, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Trumpland insiders told the Financial Times that the president-elect’s advisers have sought assurances that they’d commit to Trump’s plans to enact significant tariffs—a centerpiece of his economic agenda.
