Billionaire adviser Elon Musk, who is leading efforts to downsize the U.S. government, will attend President Donald Trump’s first cabinet meeting on Wednesday. His presence underscores his growing influence within the administration, despite not being a cabinet member. The meeting takes place amid tensions over Musk’s controversial plans to fire federal workers, marking an early test of his authority.

Argentine President Javier Milei gifted Elon Musk a chainsaw at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., symbolizing Milei’s aggressive stance on cutting bureaucracy. Musk, waving the engraved chainsaw that read “Viva la libertad, carajo” (“Long live liberty, damn it”), called it “the chainsaw for bureaucracy.” The gesture referenced Milei’s 2023 presidential campaign, where he famously used a chainsaw to represent his drastic cuts to Argentina’s state spending.

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk met at the White House on Tuesday, where Trump signed an executive order focused on Musk's leadership of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The order aims to reduce federal spending, eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse, and trim the over 2 million-person federal workforce. Musk emphasized the need for accountability within the federal bureaucracy, calling it an unelected "fourth branch" of government and pushing for common-sense controls on federal spending. He rejected accusations of a hostile government takeover, arguing that the people voted for major reform. Trump also touted the department's success in uncovering fraud and waste, including claims about the misuse of federal funds, though reports disputed some of these claims.

Bill Gates discusses his three-hour dinner with President Donald Trump, tech taking a front-row seat at Trump's second inauguration, and Elon Musk’s efforts to shut down government agency USAID.