It’s been a tough road for Donald Trump so far in this term. He may still be talking like he’s winning at everything, but he’s flailing. From going back on massive orders that he’s already implemented to his utter defeat on the world stage as nearly every country around the globe saw right through his bully act with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump has been either on the ropes or on the mat this entire time.

It’s hard to feel that way because of the despair many people are feeling. Even the threat of losing their jobs, being displaced from the military over gender identity, or becoming a victim of Stephen Miller’s plan to “denaturalize” even legal immigrants and deport them has got people losing sight of a pretty simple fact.

Donald Trump has no idea what the hell he’s doing.

What’s worse than that, however, is that the people who are supposed to be keeping him in check — his Cabinet — have no idea what they’re doing either.

Almost all of that stems from the outsized undue influence that Elon Musk, as a completely NON-elected, NON-federal employee, has been wielding across the levers of power in Washington.

As the head of Trump’s fictional “Department” of Government Efficiency, Musk has seen fit to meddle in the affairs of almost every real Department that falls under the purview of the Executive Branch.

The cracks are starting to show with the president.

During an unveiling of the FIFA World Cup trophy in the Oval Office, reporters’ attention was elsewhere, as Trump should have expected. Although the United States is going to be the primary host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, soccer still hasn’t caught on in America the way it has around the world.

Besides, there is a lot more important stuff going on in the US than an Oval Office ceremony for a soccer competition, as far as reporters are concerned. Heck, as far as I’m concerned as well, but Trump didn’t see it that way.

It took almost no time at all for a reporter to ask Trump about the recent vocal public disagreement between two massive forces in his immediate circle, Elon Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Reports said that Trump chastised reporters for asking about the dust-up during questions after his ceremony. The spat, which the New York Times first reported on, was described as an “argument”:

Mr. Musk was unimpressed. He told Mr. Rubio he was “good on TV,” with the clear subtext being that he wasn’t good for much else. Throughout all of this, the president sat back in his chair, arms folded, as if he were watching a tennis match.

After the argument dragged on for an uncomfortable time, Mr. Trump finally intervened to defend Mr. Rubio as doing a “great job.” Mr. Rubio has a lot to deal with, the president said. He is very busy, he is always traveling and on TV, and he has an agency to run. So everyone just needs to work together.

It started as an airing of Rubio’s grievances about Musk and how much control he has been exerting over the federal government. Musk was the primary force behind shuttering USAID — an agency that falls under Rubio’s Department of State. He essentially called Musk a liar to his face during the Cabinet meeting, according to the Times and others who were present, including Axios’ Marc Caputo, who tweeted his version on X:

I was chasing this story today about the row between Rubio & Musk and got beaten by the NYT (sad!) It definitely happened. Had it not, Rubio & Musk would’ve been out w/instant denials. Trump is signaling he wants this quashed.

Trump is making it clear he does not want anyone thinking there’s trouble in the administration, but his efforts to simply dismiss the line of questioning because the questions were asked during a FIFA-related event smack of desperation.

An unseen reporter begins, “Since you spoke about it yesterday. Some details have come out about your cabinet meeting, Elon Musk and potential clashes with Secretary Rubio…”

That’s when Trump interrupted.

Trump desperately wants to talk about ANYTHING except the conflicts between his sugar daddy Elon Musk and the members of his Cabinet, who have jobs to do while Elon treats the federal government like a LEGO set. pic.twitter.com/xjnMGaruEb

— Drewbear (@infuzi0n) March 8, 2025

He steadfastly refused to answer anything about it at all, brushing off yet another reporter as though news about the inner workings of the Oval Office are none of anyone’s business:

Reporter: You said Musk would play an advisory role—

Trump: We’re talking about FIFA. Thank you.. Elon is a very unique guy.

Reporter: Do you think he needs to be reined in?

Trump: Enough. Enough. It’s FIFA pic.twitter.com/hvcuOfqVjU

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 7, 2025

This Cabinet meeting was the first time that Trump has ever even hinted at the necessity of putting any kind of tether at all on Musk. It could prove to be a turning point. If Trump would answer questions about it, he might actually square up some of the confusion that he and his team have been sowing.