Bounds to his billionaire friend Pillar He is trying to put on the US president who convened the cabinet in person on Thursday to send a message: “You are responsible for your ministries, not Ilon Musk.”

According to two government officials who spoke to Politico, Donald Trump made it clear to his top ministers that Musk can make suggestions in the ministries but does not have the power to make unilateral decisions for staff and politics. Indeed, while he was saying this, Musk was present at the meeting.

This message is the first major move on Trump’s side to limit Musk’s powerswho has taken over the controversial ministry of government efficiency (Doge). According to Trump’s new guidance, Doge and his staff should play an advisory role – but the secretaries of the cabinet should make final decisions on staff, politics and the rate of implementation.

For his part, Musk seems to agree with this directive while according to the Politico person who knows about the meeting he said Musk acknowledged that the dog had made some mistakes.

As Donald Trump said, the government’s goal is to keep good people rather than to persecute massive federal workers. But his government has fired tens of thousands of federal workers in numerous services in a number of general layoffs in recent weeks. A federal judge and the president of a federal Public Services Council concluded that redundancies were not linked to performance issues – and may have violated public services laws.

After the meeting, Trump posted on Truth Social, promising that similar meetings will take place every two weeks.

“As the secretaries learn and understand the people who work for the various departments, they can be very accurate as to who will remain and who will leave,” he wrote. We prefer the “scalpel” to the “ax”. The combination of them, of the dog, the dog and other excellent people will allow historical changes to be made. “

Later, speaking to reporters, Trump stressed that ministers can keep those officials but stressed that he insists that cuts should be made and that Musk will remain a power center: “If they can cut, it’s better. And if they do not cut, then Ilon will make the cuts. “

Musk then retweeted Trump’s post, calling the meeting “very productive”.

According to Politico, the president’s exhortation to the head of the services could affect the growing legal control facing Doge. Judges have increasingly frustrated and confused about the inability of the Trump government to explain who is responsible for trying to exterminate bureaucracy and whether Musk himself plays a role for abrupt mass cuts in programs and jobs.

Things became more complicated when Trump said before Congress last Tuesday that Musk was a “head” of Doge – something that refutes the White House in court last month that the billionaire has no independent power.

Judges should now decide whether Trump’s role in the aftermath of the role of Musk is resolving the existing legal challenges for Doge’s work or whether the lawsuits against Doge will continue.

These statements by Trump come as some of these lawsuits arrive in a new phase of investigating data that could give more clarity about the participation of SpaceX’s boss in government administration.