Trump, Musk Slams Media Attempts To Break Them Up: ‘See It All the Time’
During an interview in the Oval Office with Sean Hannity, President Donald Trump and Elon Musk stated that the media is attempting to create a "divorce" between them.
Critics argue that Trump might grow weary of sharing the spotlight with Musk, especially after suggesting that the billionaire would lead the Department of Government Efficiency—a position that does not actually exist within the government. In a clip from the interview, aired on Friday’s episode of "The Five," both Trump and Musk reinforced to Hannity that the media is actively working to "divorce" them.
When they spoke again, the two billionaires concurred with Hannity that the "old media" was trying to drive a wedge between them:
Hannity: "You’re both aware, you have to be keenly aware that the media and the punditry class — I think you’ve proven they have no power anymore because they threw everything they had at you and they didn’t win. And that was, you know, The New York Times, Washington Post, three networks, every late-night comedy show, two cable channels. They just, they threw everything. Lawfare, weaponization."
Trump: "True."
Hannity: "And now I see, they want you two to — they want a divorce. They want you two to start hating each other. And they try, oh, President Elon Musk, for example. You do know that they’re doing that to you?"
Trump: "Oh, I see it all the time. They tried it. Then they stopped. They have many different things of hatred. Actually, Elon called me. He said, you know, they’re trying to drive us apart. I said, absolutely. No, they said, we have breaking news. Donald Trump has ceded control of the presidency to Elon Musk. President Musk will be attending a cabinet meeting tonight at eight o’clock. And I say, it’s just so obvious. They’re so bad at it. I used to think they were good at it. They’re actually bad at it because if they were good at it, I’d never be president. Because I think nobody in history has ever gotten more bad publicity than me. I could do the greatest things, I get 98 percent bad publicity. I could do — outside of you and a few of your very good friends."
Hannity: "Right."
Trump: "It’s like the craziest thing. But, you know what I have learned, Elon? The people are smart. They get it."
Musk: "Yeah, they do, actually."
Trump: "They get it."
Musk: "Yeah."
Trump: "They really see what’s happening."
Musk: "Yes."
Elon Musk, chair of DOGE, has urged the Republican-controlled Congress to initiate a "wave of impeachments" against federal judges following a D.C. court ruling requiring the Trump administration to restore federal health datasets that had been removed.
"There needs to be an immediate wave of judicial impeachments, not just one," Musk stated on his X platform, reacting to concerns about a potential conflict of interest involving U.S. District Judge John Bates, a George W. Bush appointee.
Bates' decision came after President Trump signed an executive order barring the government from promoting "gender ideology." The ruling favored Doctors for America (DFA), a progressive physicians' group that argued the data removal was unlawful.
In another case, Musk advocated for the removal of another federal judge following a ruling that temporarily blocked DOGE’s access to Treasury Department records.
Trump has asserted that he will follow judicial orders restricting aspects of his policies. However, on Wednesday morning, he expressed frustration over recent rulings that have hindered his administration’s initiatives.
"DOGE has found massive amounts of FRAUD, WASTE, INCOMPETENCE, AND ABUSE, but even knowing this, a highly political, activist Judge wants us to immediately make payment, anyway. In other words, pay, even though you know the payment was fraudulently requested to be made. DOGE caught them – The Judge just doesn’t care. It doesn’t make sense!!!" Trump posted on his Truth Social account.
The administration is expected to appeal these rulings, and in some cases—such as the order restricting birthright citizenship—Trump has sought Supreme Court intervention to establish precedent.
Meanwhile, a Republican congressman has reportedly drafted articles of impeachment against a judge who ruled that DOGE could not access Treasury Department payment systems, according to Newsweek.
Arizona Representative Eli Crane stated on X (formerly Twitter) that U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, based in Manhattan, was "attempting to stop White House employees from accessing the very systems they oversee."
Engelmayer issued a preliminary injunction preventing DOGE—a non-governmental entity—from obtaining Treasury records containing personal financial details of millions of Americans. The order also mandates the destruction of any such records acquired since January 20, as reported by Newsweek.
In his ruling, Engelmayer cautioned that abrupt policy changes could lead to personal data breaches or even security risks within the Treasury system. He also indicated that state-level legal proceedings regarding Treasury data access might ultimately determine that DOGE’s claims lack legal standing.