Trump denied Musk-Rubio clash but watched it like a 'sporting event’: NY Times' Haberman

President Donald Trump had “very little” to say during an explosive Oval Office meeting Wednesday, instead choosing to watch the sparring match unfold between DOGE head Elon Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio “like it was some kind of sporting event.” That’s according to the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman, who revealed new details about the hastily assembled meeting that resulted in the tech billionaire clashing with Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who “had a pretty contentious back and forth with Musk.” “And then came Rubio, and that was the tensest exchange,” Haberman said Friday on CNN. The Times’ journalist, who has covered Trump extensively for years, reported that the meeting came together Wednesday amid growing outrage at town halls nationwide and concern from lawmakers on Capitol Hill over mass DOGE-inspired firings and cuts throughout the federal government. Musk began the meeting Wednesday night by pointing out “that he owns or has three companies that have a market cap of tens of billions of dollars, and that his results speak for themselves,” Haberman said. Haberman brushed off Trump’s claims that there was no such conflict between his top campaign donor – turned DOGE leader – and his cabinet officials.