Recently, a high-profile argument at the White House once again brought the U.S. government into the spotlight. The Head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk, and the U.S. Treasury Secretary, Benson, engaged in a heated dispute due to ideological differences, almost leading to a physical altercation. In the end, Trump accepted Benson's appointment proposal, raising concerns about whether a rift had occurred between Trump and Musk. Behind this conflict is not only a clash of power between Silicon Valley and Washington but also reveals the complex game of balancing power between Trump and Musk from "close comrades" to "power equilibrium."

Looking back at the beginning of the year, the most significant political reform that Trump carried out through Musk was the establishment of the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) to promote radical reform under the guise of "streamlining government." Its core objectives mainly include reducing government spending, digitizing the bureaucratic system, replacing manpower decision-making with algorithms, and the core team consists of 6 technology elites aged 19-25. Since Trump took office on January 20, DOGE has swiftly carried out restructuring, from closing the U.S. International Development Agency to significantly reducing the number of federal government employees, and even obtaining taxpayer privacy information to improve fiscal efficiency. With Trump's authorization and support, Musk has bravely faced challenges and obstacles, setting off a radical reform storm in the United States.

Related readings: "Terminated hundreds of contracts in 18 days, Musk led 6 post-00s to reform America" "Cutting billions of dollars in contracts again, what bizarre government departments has Musk's D.O.G.E discovered?"

According to DOGE's official website data, as of April 20, 2025, DOGE has saved a total of approximately $160 billion, averaging about $993.79 saved per taxpayer, with savings covering various areas:

Contract Terminations: 8454 contracts terminated, saving around $30 billion. For example, terminating the Risk Management Agency's lease in Topeka, Kansas, with an annual rent of $121,800, is expected to save approximately $964,000 over multiple years.

Grant Cancellations: 9699 grants terminated, saving about $33 billion. For example, terminating the U.S. International Development Agency's grant to the Global Vaccine and Immunization Alliance Foundation saves a total of $1.75 billion.

Lease Terminations: 643 leases terminated, saving around $3 billion.

However, an NPR analysis pointed out that some contract terminations did not lead to actual savings. For example, 794 contract cancellations were expected to result in no savings as the funds were already fully committed. Furthermore, the calculation of savings for DOGE used the potential highest value of the contract rather than actual expenditure, sparking controversy.

Honeymoon Period: Political Allies' "Mutual Devotion"

As early as the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Musk began frequent interactions with Trump. At that time, Musk donated $259 million, mobilized all Silicon Valley resources, and with the endorsement of his personal influence, became a key supporter of Trump's return to the White House. After Trump took office, as his "angel investor," Musk naturally gained unprecedented political status and power.

On February 7, Musk publicly expressed support for Trump on social media. He stated that his love for Trump was "the greatest extent of love a straight man can give to another man."

On March 4, while attending Trump's State of the Union address, Musk wore a tie borrowed from Trump.

As Musk initiated large-scale layoffs of federal employees, a nationwide wave of Tesla car destruction, owner intimidation, and dealership protests erupted. Tesla factories faced peaceful demonstrations and acts of vandalism, including charging station fires. Vandalism of Cybertrucks increased across the U.S., with some owners even vandalizing their own Tesla vehicles to protest against Musk.

Reports of Tesla car and dealership damage, as well as protest activities, indicate that opposition to Musk has reached a boiling point. Bellde analyst Ben Karlo stated on CNBC, "When people's cars are at risk of being keyed or set on fire, even those who support Musk or are indifferent to Musk may think twice about whether to buy a Tesla."

Musk has also stated multiple times that running his own businesses is "very difficult." Tesla's stock price experienced its most significant drop in five years, and his social media company, X, also suffered multiple outages.

However, such swift reforms are bound to harm the interests of a considerable number of people. From the first day Musk entered politics, opposition has been relentless. Tesla's stock has plummeted since Musk took office, nearly halving its market value, marking the most severe drop in five years. This has caused Musk's estimated personal assets, calculated since the beginning of the year, to evaporate by approximately $121 billion.

As Musk's staunchest political background ally, Trump inevitably had to stand by his side and support him when Musk came under attack.

On the afternoon of March 11, local time in the United States, Trump held a 30-minute press conference on the White House driveway. The press conference resembled more of a large-scale Tesla car show—accompanied by Musk, Trump answered questions about the U.S. stock market, Canadian tariffs, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict while test-driving five different types and colors of Tesla vehicles.

"The one I like is that one," Trump pointed to a bright red Model S priced at around $80,000. In the end, Trump chose the Model S and said he would write a check for $80,000 to buy the car in full.

Trump also accused those who boycott Tesla of harming a great American company and stated that if the boycotters continue to treat Tesla this way, he will root out these people and "curse" them to "go to hell." White House spokesman Harrison Fields also stated: "The heinous violent acts continuously carried out by radical leftists against Tesla are no different than domestic terrorism."

Under Trump's "endorsement," Tesla's stock price rebounded during Tuesday's trading session, closing up 3.79%.

To show loyalty, on March 24, at Trump's third cabinet meeting, Musk wore a red hat with "Trump Is Always Right" written on it.

During this period, the two were still intimate allies dedicated to advancing reform. Trump needed a "sharp tool" to expand his territory, and Musk needed a platform to achieve his political ambitions. The two were highly aligned in their goals and interests.

Cracks Begin to Show: Policy Differences and Interests at Play

Since Trump announced his high tariffs policy, a conflict arose between Trump's political objectives and Musk's personal interests, leading to a crack in their relationship. The high tariffs caused a sharp drop in the U.S. stock market in a short period, and Musk's assets have shrunk by over $100 billion since the beginning of the year. As an entrepreneur, Musk views issues from an economic perspective rather than a political one and supports reducing barriers and free trade, openly expressing his opposition to tariff policies.

On April 5, at the Italian Alliance Congress held in Florence, during a video call interview with Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, Musk stated: "Ultimately, I hope that Europe and the United States can reach an agreement. In my view, ideally, we should move towards zero tariffs, effectively establishing a free trade area between Europe and North America." On April 7, Musk shared a video on Twitter where the late free-market economist Milton Friedman discussed the benefits of free trade. Musk did not add any text to the post, but this gesture was widely interpreted as a criticism of Trump's tariff policies.

Musk's brother, Kimbal Musk, also criticized Trump's tariff policy on Twitter, pointing out that "taxing consumption means reduced consumption, which also means reduced job opportunities, leading to even further reduced consumption and fewer job opportunities." He believes that taxation is a "structural, permanent tax on American consumers."

Especially targeting trade adviser Peter Navarro, Musk has made many criticisms and sarcastic remarks. On April 8, he replied to a post quoting Navarro's interview where Navarro referred to Tesla more as an "assembler" than a "manufacturer," criticizing that its parts come from China, Japan, and Taiwan. Musk directly fired back, saying, "Navarro is such an idiot, what he says here is obviously false," and then provided a community note proving that the Tesla Model Y is the "most American-made car." Seemingly unsatisfied with just one retort, Musk further called Navarro a "dumber version of a bag of bricks" in another post.

Acrimonious Conflict: Bezos and Musk Engage in a Fierce War of Words

The contradiction in their attitudes on tariffs gradually fermented amidst the intricate power struggle.

On April 23, local time, sources revealed that on April 17, Musk and Treasury Secretary Bezos had a heated clash during a meeting in the West Wing of the White House. Bezos lost control of his emotions and lashed out with profanity, to which Musk provocatively responded with "speak louder," escalating to personal attacks. Bezos accused Musk of exaggerating the DOGE budget cut issue, leading to no progress, while Musk directly retorted, calling Bezos a "Soros puppet" and mocking his past hedge fund failure. The argument alarmed Trump and visiting Italian Prime Minister Meloni, and it wasn't until aides intervened that the two were separated.

The direct cause of this conflict was the dispute over the appointment of the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). As Elon Musk, serving as the Secretary of Government Efficiency under the U.S. government, proposed the appointment of Gary Sharply as the acting Commissioner of the IRS without the consent of Treasury Secretary Bennett, the conflict arose. Since the IRS is supposed to report to the Treasury Department, Bennett believed that this action violated his authority. He lobbied Trump to revoke the appointment and instead support his own deputy, Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Folkend to take the role of IRS Commissioner.

The outcome of this struggle seemed to be Bennett's victory, as Trump eventually supported Bennett's proposal, revoking Musk's nomination of Sharply and appointing Folkend as the acting IRS Commissioner.

The fact that these two senior U.S. officials could be so furious as to publicly quarrel at the White House's entrance without regard for their image stems from their longstanding animosity. Early in Trump's tenure, Musk strongly pushed for the nomination of Howard Lutenic as Treasury Secretary, but Trump ultimately chose Bennett and appointed Lutenic to lead the Department of Commerce. Perhaps from the beginning, Trump had prepared for the mutual restraint of his subordinates. He would lean towards whoever aligned more with his ideas, laying the groundwork for future conflicts.

The conflict between the two individuals is fundamentally a struggle and game of power within the Trump administration. The reformist camp, represented by Musk, seeks to shape a new order through new policies, while the traditionalist camp, represented by Bennett, resists practices that harm their own interests. The handling of this event by Trump is also seen as a sign of Musk's weakening influence within the government.

It is worth noting that, in terms of tariff policy, unlike Musk's clear opposition, Bennett has publicly supported tariff policies, deeming it necessary for the U.S. to implement new tariffs and refuting the idea that new tariffs would lead to an economic downturn. Perhaps the consistency in policy orientation is also a reason why Trump gradually leaned towards Bennett and distanced himself from Musk. After all, for Trump, a businessman by trade, there are only everlasting interests, not everlasting friends.

Musk's role is constrained by the 130-day service limit for special government employees. This period is calculated from January 20, 2025, Trump's inauguration day, and is expected to expire at the end of May. By the end of February, there were anonymous reports within the White House that Musk would "stay on." However, on March 31, Trump publicly acknowledged Musk's prioritization of his business responsibilities and did not show a firm intention to retain him. Perhaps as Musk's 130-day tenure as a government employee nears completion, Trump will gradually sideline Musk from the centers of power and instead engage new allies who better align with his interests at this stage. In hindsight, it seems somewhat regrettable, akin to a good bow hidden when the bird is already gone.

The world's richest person, Musk, experienced the thrill of a "Tech Disruption Workplace" at the heart of American politics. He ignited a fire for Trump's "New Sheriff in Town," touching the interests of countless people. With incredible speed, he reformed the behemoth of the American government, leaving behind not only the controversial outline of "Algorithm Governance" but also exposing the deep-rooted contradiction between capital and power in American politics. This radical experiment of "Tech Reforming Politics" seems to be approaching its conclusion. When Musk truly departs, that red hat bearing the words "Trump Is Always Right" may well become the most dramatic footnote to this brief "political marriage."

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