Donald Trump Pulls Up Hard on Elon Musk

It’s impossible to know these days whether breaking news about the Trump administration is of any value — and not just because that news tends to be near-instantly rendered obsolete by the administration’s own changes of mind a day or two later. (Tariffs or no tariffs? Deport Ukrainians or not? Sit down. Stand up.) The other reason is that our news ecosystem is rapidly degrading, particularly online. This is a caveat that properly deserves to be expanded on in a piece I hope to write later — the feeling of drowning in a desert, being force-fed constant fake news with little true informational value in the Elon Era.

But given the impossibility of long-term planning during this administration, it seems important to forefront one bit of important news: After a month and a half of chaos, much of it done with great online fanfare but seemingly little substantive gain, Donald Trump has officially clamped the reins on Elon Musk and DOGE, and he’s pulling up hard. Politico reported yesterday — you see why I began with the caveat now, right? — that “President Donald Trump convened his Cabinet in person on Thursday to deliver a message: You’re in charge of your departments, not Elon Musk.”

About the Author

Jeffrey Blehar

Jeffrey Blehar is a National Review staff writer living in Chicago. He is also the co-host of National Review’s Political Beats podcast, which explores the great music of the modern era with guests from the political world happy to find something non-political to talk about.

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It’s impossible to know these days whether breaking news about the Trump administration is of any value — and not just because that news tends to be near-instantly rendered obsolete by the administration’s own changes of mind a day or two later. (Tariffs or no tariffs? Deport Ukrainians or not? Sit down. Stand up.) The other reason is that our news ecosystem is rapidly degrading, particularly online. This is a caveat that properly deserves to be expanded on in a piece I hope to write later — the feeling of drowning in a desert, being force-fed constant fake news with little true informational value in the Elon Era.

But given the impossibility of long-term planning during this administration, it seems important to forefront one bit of important news: After a month and a half of chaos, much of it done with great online fanfare but seemingly little substantive gain, Donald Trump has officially clamped the reins on Elon Musk and DOGE, and he’s pulling up hard. Politico reported yesterday — you see why I began with the caveat now, right? — that “President Donald Trump convened his Cabinet in person on Thursday to deliver a message: You’re in charge of your departments, not Elon Musk.”

About the Author

Jeffrey Blehar

Jeffrey Blehar is a National Review staff writer living in Chicago. He is also the co-host of National Review’s Political Beats podcast, which explores the great music of the modern era with guests from the political world happy to find something non-political to talk about.