PRESIDENT TRUMP AND ELON MUSK are putting up a united front as Democratic protests grow and lawsuits mount over their offensive against the federal workforce.
Fox News will air a joint interview with Trump and Musk this evening, a sign they’re on the same page amid fierce pushback from Democrats and federal workers seeking to preserve their jobs.
In the interview with Sean Hannity, Trump and Musk took aim at what they described as an effort by the media to drive a wedge between them.
Trump said references to “President Musk” were an effort to get under his skin, but that he’s not taking the bait.
“It’s just so obvious,” Trump says in a clip of the interview provided by Fox News. “They’re so bad at it. I used to think they were good at it. They’re actually bad at it, because if they were good at it, I’d never be president because I think nobody in history has ever gotten more bad publicity than me.”
The Trump White House is also defending Musk’s actions in the courts, where Democrats and advocacy groups have challenged the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) sweeping cuts at federal agencies.
The White House argued in a court filing that Musk is not technically part of DOGE, even though Trump’s executive order establishing the organization tapped Musk as its top dog.
The filing claims Musk is an employee of the “White House Office” and a senior adviser to Trump, saying DOGE is a separate entity and that Musk is not involved.
“In his role as a Senior Advisor to the President, Mr. Musk has no greater authority than other senior White House advisors,” says the filing by Joshua Fisher, the director of the White House Office of Administration.
“Like other senior White House advisors, Mr. Musk has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself. Mr. Musk can only advise the President and communicate the President’s directives.”
The filing is in response to a lawsuit brought by 14 Democratic attorneys general arguing that Musk’s role is unconstitutional because he has not been confirmed by the Senate. The states are seeking to block Musk and DOGE from accessing internal systems and from firing agency employees.
“The sweeping authority now vested in a single unelected and unconfirmed individual is antithetical to the nation’s entire constitutional structure,” they wrote.
Democratic attorneys general, including William Tong of Connecticut, argue that Musk’s role in the government violates the Appointments Clause of the Constitution.
“In the Constitution, it says if you exercise significant authority, you‘ve got to be confirmed — nominated by the president, but confirmed by the Senate,” Tong said on CNN. “That didn‘t happen here. His appointment, his work is in utter violation of the U.S. Constitution and the appointments clause."
The White House responded in its filing that the states are “conflating influence and authority,” arguing that “an advisor does not become an officer simply because the officer listens to his advice.”
