How Musk’s behaviour is turning Trump officials against him

Elon Musk may have a powerful role in Donald Trump’s administration through the department of government efficiency (DOGE), but according to several senior government officials, that influence is quickly wearing thin.
Multiple officials told Rolling Stone that Musk’s presence has become a serious liability. His relentless need to dominate conversations, his offbeat attempts at humour, and his belief that he is “smarter than everyone else” have worn down even the Trump-aligned cabinet.
Their frustration has been building for months, and Musk’s recent town hall stunt in Wisconsin may have pushed it over the edge.
To many within the administration, Musk’s antics are undermining public trust and distracting from Trump’s broader agenda.
“I have been in the same room with Elon, and he always tries to be funny. And he’s not funny. Like, at all,” a senior Trump administration official said. “He makes these jokes and little asides and smiles and then looks almost hurt if you don’t lap up his humour.”
The frustration, officials say, runs deeper than poor humour. “He just thinks he’s smarter than everyone else in the room and acts like it, even when it’s clear he doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” the official added.
Musk’s behaviour has become such a sore point that senior Trump aides have walked out of crucial meetings in protest. Some have privately questioned whether Musk’s erratic conduct might be drug-fuelled.
“Talking to the guy is sometimes like listening to really rusty nails on a chalkboard,” said a senior official. “He’s just the most irritating person I’ve ever had to deal with, and that is saying something.”
Within the state department, Musk has reportedly earned the mocking nickname “Crazy uncle Elon,” while secretary of state Marco Rubio is said to openly bristle at his involvement in DOGE.
A February directive ordering all federal employees to send him "5 bullet points of what you accomplished last week" or face termination led to his government email being leaked publicly and a flood of "very rude" pranks.