President Donald Trump will convene his first official Cabinet meeting today. The White House said Elon Musk, the tech billionaire who has led the effort to remake the federal government but is not a Cabinet member, is attending as “secretaries take the advice and direction of DOGE.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained to White House reporters on Wednesday why Elon Musk will attend Trump’s first Cabinet meeting, despite not being a Cabinet member, and gave a preview ahead of Wednesday’s anticipated gathering.
“Well, Elon is working with the Cabinet secretaries and their staff every single day to identify waste and fraud and abuse at these respective agencies,” Leavitt answered when asked why he was attending. “All of the Cabinet secretaries take the advice and direction of DOGE,” she said.
Leavitt continued to emphasize that the secretaries “work alongside” DOGE and continued to provided a preview of the meeting.
“Cabinet members will be providing updates on their efforts,” she said. “And providing updates on what they’re doing at their agencies in terms of policy and implementing the promises that the president made on the campaign trail.”
Elon Musk’s presence at President Donald Trump’s first Cabinet meeting will solidify his power in the administration – and show how quickly he’s amassed it despite not being elected or confirmed by the Senate.
The meeting comes as Musk attempts to gut the federal workforce and reshape it in Trump’s image, including sweeping orders to employees across the government, which has begun to grate on Cabinet secretaries and members of Congress, multiple sources told CNN.
Credit: cnn.com
