Musk suddenly became "low-key"

Cracks in the Musk Empire? White House Influence Seems to Be Waning. In the three months since Trump took office, the world's richest man, Musk, seemed to have unlimited power and influence. However, according to the latest media reports, this most prominent ally of Trump is facing a series of major setbacks, with his actual power within the U.S. government facing unprecedented scrutiny. Trump backed the dismissal of the official supported by Musk, showing the limitations of Musk's influence on key policies, his performance in cabinet meetings was noticeably muted, and his activity on the X platform also significantly decreased. Media reports say that while Trump still openly supports Musk, he privately admits that Musk has made mistakes, and he believes Musk will soon return to his private company. According to the latest media reports, a few days after Trump appointed Gary Shapley, recommended by Musk, as the acting director of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury Secretary Bezent successfully persuaded the president to revoke the appointment. Treasury Secretary Bezent appointed his deputy, Michael Faulkender, as the acting director of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the fifth acting director in less than 100 days of Trump's term, and the third in a week. Previously, Gary Shapley, appointed with Musk's support, was replaced just a few days after taking office as acting director. The "three changes in a week" of the IRS director reflect Trump finally siding with Bezent and dismissing the official supported by Musk. This decision may mark a decline in Musk's influence within the government. Bezent wrote on the social platform X, "Trust in the IRS must be restored," and called Faulkender the "most suitable candidate." Faulkender will remain in this position until former Congressman Billy Long is confirmed by the Senate. Behind this personnel upheaval is Bezent's complaint to Trump that Musk bypassed him and pushed for Shapley's appointment to the position. In fact, although the tax agency is supposed to report to Bezent, Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) pushed Shapley's appointment through White House channels without consulting or obtaining Bezent's approval. This personnel change reveals the power struggle between Bezent and Musk, with Bezent's favored candidate ultimately gaining Trump's support, seen as a signal of cooling relations between Trump and Musk. The discord between Musk and Bezent went public late Thursday night. At that time, Musk amplified a post by right-wing researcher Laura Loomer on social media, talking about Bezent's meeting with John Hope Bryant, CEO of the non-profit organization Operation HOPE, with the post accusing Bezent of colluding with "Trump haters." Musk wrote when reposting, "Disturbing." This marks the escalation of the conflict from government to the public domain. In addition, the effectiveness of Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Musk was lower than expected, leading to questioning of Musk's capabilities. DOGE recently cut AmeriCorps, a U.S. community service organization, and conducted massive layoffs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) - the latter has been temporarily halted by a judge. At the same time, Musk's influence on key policies showed limitations. Despite investing over $23 million, Brad Schimel, a conservative judge supported by Musk, was still defeated by liberal judge Susan Crawford in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, and on tariff policy, despite Musk's public opposition, he reportedly did not play a substantial role in convincing the president to change trade policies. Musk's behavior patterns have also changed significantly. Reports show that Musk's behavior at cabinet meetings was noticeably low-key compared to earlier, and his activity on the X platform significantly decreased from an average of 107 posts per day in March to about 55 posts per day in April, with no single day in the month exceeding 100 posts. Analysts point out that as a special government employee, Musk's honeymoon period in Washington may soon end - his term cannot exceed 130 days unless converted to part-time work. Although facing setbacks, Musk's DOGE seems to be seeking new areas of expansion. Interior Minister Doug Burgum has signed an order transferring the restructuring authority of the department to former DOGE member Tyler Hassen - critics believe that this order actually transfers the real power of the Interior Department to DOGE, and does not require Hassen to report to the minister. Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the Western Priorities Center, harshly criticized this: "This order shows what happens when leaders abandon their work and allow unqualified outsiders to fire thousands of public servants who work for all Americans and public lands." This article is reprinted from "Wall Street See," by Li Xiaoyin, Ye Zhen; GMTEight Editor: Wenwen.