Viral photo from Trump's first Cabinet meeting with Elon Musk has everyone talking about the same thing

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump started his second round as president of the United States with a bang, signing off on a massive stack of executive orders before hosting his very first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, February 26.

But it was billionaire Elon Musk — the newly anointed head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — who somehow became the main attraction of the meeting.

And judging by a now-viral photo, Trump himself didn’t even seem that interested in what the billionaire disruptor had to say.

Social media mocks Trump over viral picture

During the hour-long meeting, Trump confirmed some major international moves—including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s upcoming White House visit, incoming EU tariffs, and that 25 percent tariff slap he’s planning to hit Mexico and Canada with. But it seemed Elon Musk was the real star of the show.

As head of DOGE, Musk has been making some major cuts to the federal workforce - and Trump couldn’t be prouder.

“They have a lot of respect for Elon and that he’s doing this, and some disagree a little bit,” Trump said. “But I will tell you, for the most part, I think everyone’s not only happy, they’re thrilled. If they aren’t, I want them to speak up.”

But Trump’s body language told an entirely different story because he seemed to check out entirely when Musk took the floor. Once photos from the meeting started making the rounds, social media lit up with theories about Trump’s reaction - or his lack thereof.

"Elon holding court, everyone looking/listening at him except Trump who's disinterested and looking at his phone. This will sum up the Trump presidency for a long time to come," one critic posted on Reddit.

"Ah yes, Trump texting while Elon runs his meeting is top notch leadership. Yes, he may alternately be sleeping. neither is good," another wrote.

"Listening attentively to President Musk while Dozy Donny has a nap," read a comment.

"How rude of Trump to be texting while the president is speaking!" someone else quipped. 

"Even if Trump is awake and just staring down at his phone or whatever, it’s so f***ing chilling to see everyone EXCEPT Trump turned towards Elon and paying attention to him," another chimed in.

Elon Musk takes center stage at Trump's first cabinet meeting

Trump’s first Cabinet meeting made one thing clear - his administration is moving fast and Musk is front and center. Even before officially locking in all his confirmed Cabinet picks, Trump had Musk stealing the spotlight on tour.

The billionaire’s early moves in government have already rattled federal employees and even sparked some concern among Republicans. While Trump’s team races to execute his agenda, it’s Musk who’s in front of the cameras and getting both praise and backlash for his aggressive restructuring of the federal bureaucracy.

“He’s sacrificing a lot,” Trump said while introducing Musk. “He’s getting a lot of praise, I’ll tell you, but he’s also getting hit.”

At the top of the meeting, Trump gave him the floor while his actual Cabinet secretaries sat quietly. Musk broke down DOGE’s mission.

“A support function for the president and for the agencies and departments to help achieve those savings to effectively find 15% reduction in fraud and waste,” Musk explained, adding, “And we bring the receipts.”

Not surprisingly, not everyone’s thrilled with Musk’s approach - especially after a Saturday night email from DOGE landed in government inboxes, demanding a five-point response to the question, “What did you do last week?”

That little pop quiz from Musk obviously didn’t go over well. Officials from the Justice Department, Defense Department, State Department, and FBI pushed back hard, rejecting the directive despite warnings that noncompliance could mean getting the boot.

But Musk eventually downplayed the whole thing, saying it was just a "pulse check" not a performance review. DOGE “will make mistakes,” he admitted.

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