Elon Musk successfully pestered the team of newly sworn-in President Donald Trump to issue him a badge for the White House complex, according to The New York Times . Musk, who will lead the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to cut government spending, had reportedly been asking about his level of access for several days prior to Trump’s inauguration Monday. The badgering appears to have worked, as the world’s richest man was given a White House pass and a government email address.
The Times also reported that Musk is expected to take office in the West Wing. He was originally set to be situated in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which lies in the White House complex but not in the West Wing. Musk has also filled out paperwork for his new role and began working from his new office on Monday.
Vivek Ramaswamy was initially slated to co-lead DOGE, but Musk reportedly pushed his fellow billionaire out of the advisory body. A portrait of retired Gen. Mark Milley , whom Donald Trump has suggested is guilty of treason and should be executed, is no longer on the wall at the Pentagon.
Just a few hours after Trump’s inauguration Monday, a CNN reporter observed a bare spot on the wall where the portrait of the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had been first displayed just ten days ago. Milley was among those pardoned preemptively earlier Monday by former President Joe Biden , who said in an accompanying statement that the pardons “should not be.