Vice President J.D. Vance addressed reports on Wednesday suggesting that President Donald Trump was dissatisfied with billionaire Elon Musk’s role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and that Musk was planning to step back from his position.
In an interview with Fox News, Vance dismissed the claims, labeling them as “total fake news.” He was referring to a Politico article that alleged Trump had privately expressed concerns to cabinet members about Musk’s future involvement in the administration.
Vance clarified that Musk was initially brought on as a special advisor for a six-month initiative focused on streamlining government operations and reducing bureaucracy. Although this role has a 130-day limit, set to expire in late May or early June, Vance assured that Musk would continue to advise the administration beyond that timeframe. “We said that’s going to take about six months, and that’s what Elon signed up for, but of course, he’s going to continue to be an advisor,” Vance stated, emphasizing that the work of DOGE would persist even after Musk’s formal departure.
He praised Musk for his contributions, particularly in eliminating “fraudulent grants” within the federal government and addressing abuses in the Social Security system. “DOGE has got a lot of work to do, and that work is going to continue after Elon leaves, but fundamentally Elon is going to remain a friend and advisor of both me and the president,” Vance added.
Musk has faced significant backlash from the left since he began aggressively cutting federal programs and slashing grants that were favored by Democrats. This criticism has led to protests targeting his Tesla company, with some incidents involving vandalism of Tesla vehicles.
The negative attention has made some Republicans uneasy, prompting calls for Trump to distance himself from Musk. However, sources familiar with the situation told DailyMail.com that rumors of a rift between Musk and the president are “garbage” and “fake news.” Musk himself retweeted a post from the press secretary, adding, “Yeah, fake news.”
In a related incident, a fake recording of Vance purportedly criticizing Musk went viral on social media last month. William Martin, Vance’s communications director, confirmed that the recording was not real and was AI-generated. Vance responded to the fake video on X, stating, “It’s a fake AI-generated clip. I’m not surprised this guy doesn’t have the intelligence to recognize this fact, but I wonder if he has the integrity to delete it now that he knows it’s false. If not, it could be defamation. I guess we’ll find out!”
The rise of AI-generated content has led to an increase in false video and audio material, with the quality often being poor and distorted. The specific video in question originated from a TikTok account and had garnered significant views across various platforms, including X and Reddit. In the recording, the impersonator claimed that Musk was harming the administration’s image, saying, “Everything that he’s doing is getting criticized in the media, and he says that he’s helping and he’s not, he’s making us look bad.”
