The New York Times claimed in an article Friday that Musk, while at closed-doors cabinet meeting, accused Rubio of refusing to slash his staff, following weeks of DOGE making a dizzying array of cuts to federal personnel and programs.

Before the fight with Rubio, Musk was reportedly going back and forth with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Duffy told Musk that young staffers at DOGE were trying to lay off air traffic controllers amid a string of deadly plane crashes in the United States, according to The Times.