American media reports have revealed a heated verbal clash between Efficiency Administrator Elon Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Thursday, amid rising tensions within the U.S. administration.

According to the New York Times, the dispute began when Musk criticized Rubio for failing to take decisive action to oust incompetent employees, accusing him of neglecting to apply efficiency standards. Rubio responded by pointing out that a large number of employees had voluntarily left, sarcastically questioning whether Musk would prefer to rehire them so he could fire them more dramatically.

Tensions escalated when Rubio accused Musk of trying to interfere in decisions related to air traffic control, which Musk vehemently denied. President Donald Trump, who was present at the meeting, intervened to end the dispute, praising Musk's performance and affirming that the Secretary of State was doing a good job as well.

According to the report, Trump suggested at the end of the meeting appointing air traffic controllers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to ensure the highest levels of efficiency, describing the institute's graduates as "geniuses."

After the meeting, Trump denied that a direct confrontation had occurred between Musk and Rubio, insisting that their relationship is good. Trump also announced that he would hold regular meetings with Musk every two weeks to follow up on efforts to improve government efficiency, emphasizing the need to reduce the government workforce in a "scalpel" manner rather than with an "axe" to ensure that only competent employees remain.

U.S. media have highlighted the growing tensions between Musk and other government officials, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who believe Musk's approach to implementing government reforms exceeds their authority and is excessively harsh.

This comes amid Trump's praise in his speech before Congress for the successes Musk has achieved in saving billions of dollars for taxpayers within just a few weeks through strict measures to combat government waste.