The meeting follows a series of large-scale Federal government dismissals led by Musk as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Accordingly, these decisions have caused strong reactions in the public authority apparatus, especially when some fires were concluded by federal judges and the chairman of the civil service council as unrelated to work performance and could violate the law on civil service labor.
The two government officials were quoted by Politico as saying that Mr. Trump has emphasized that Mr. Musk only has the right to make recommendations, and the final decision belongs to the ministers. Mr. Musk was also present at the meeting and expressed his agreement with this directive.
According to new guidance from the White House, DOGE and Musk's team will only serve as consultants, while the decision on personnel and policy belongs to cabinet ministers. Mr. Musk admitted that DOGE has made some mistakes in the past and shared this with lawmakers in a previous meeting.
The new guidelines may affect lawsuits related to DOGE. Several federal judges have asked for clarification on the agency's executive role and Musk's involvement in key decisions.
The situation became more complicated when Mr. Trump declared to Congress that Mr. Musk was indeed the head of DOGE. The statement was immediately included in the records of ongoing lawsuits, violating the White House's previous claim that Musk does not have the authority to make independent policy decisions.
A federal judge has recently ordered a number of DOGE officials and branches to take an oath to provide statements to clarify the agency's operating structure. Two other lawsuits in Washington, D.C. and Maryland are focusing on allegations that Musk has held constitutional power despite not being formally approved by the Senate for any position in the federal government.
After the meeting, Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social, pledging to hold two-weekly personnel supervision meetings. He stressed that when Ministers better understand their own team, they can make more accurate decisions, instead of conducting mass dismissals.
Mr. Musk later re-shared the US President's post and called it a very effective meeting.
