One week before Donald Trump’s second inaugural, The Washington Post reported on a rash of “ugly infighting” among prominent MAGA voices. Roughly 100 days later, things are vastly worse.
After the IRS lost its fourth commissioner in three months — the most recent tax agency chief only lasted a few days on the job — the public quickly learned that the developments were the result of a power struggle within the administration. The New York Times reported, and NBC News confirmed, that the acting commissioner was ousted after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent complained to the president that Elon Musk’s choice to lead the IRS was installed without Bessent’s knowledge.
This week, Axios advanced the story with some behind-the-scenes details, including a “chest-to-chest clash” between two of the more powerful figures in the president’s orbit, who were “in each other’s face.”
Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent got into a heated shouting match in earshot of President Trump and other officials in the White House last week during a dispute about the IRS, two witnesses and three sources briefed on the matter tell Axios. ... ‘They were not physical in the Oval, but the president saw it, and then they carried it down the hall, and that’s when they did it again,’ the first witness said. Said a second: ‘It was quite a scene. It was loud. And I mean, loud.’
NBC News has confirmed that the shouting match happened, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made no effort to deny the developments, saying the dispute was part of a “healthy debate process.”
But therein lies the point: This isn’t “healthy.” When things are going smoothly in an effective and well-run White House, the treasury secretary and one of the president’s most powerful advisors do not scream at each other during “chest-to-chest” clashes in the West Wing.
If this were simply a matter of two officials blowing off some steam amid a myriad of administration failures and scandals, it’d be easier to overlook, but it’s not nearly that simple. The Associated Press reported this week, “The infighting and backstabbing that plagued President Donald Trump’s first term have returned as a threat to his second, with deepening fissures over trade, national security and questions of personal loyalty.”
Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are at odds with White House trade advisor Peter Navarro. Musk has also clashed with Navarro, with the former calling the latter a “moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks.”
Musk has also had notable disputes with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while Rubio has found himself at odds with officials in the West Wing.
As we’ve discussed, throughout American history, there have been administrations with rival factions, but those divisions usually take time. On Team Trump, the cracks are bursting into view just three months after Inauguration Day.
In theory, a strong president could intervene, resolve differences, unite his or her own team and establish a clear vision for his or administration to follow. In practice, however, Trump appears content to play the role of President Bystander, watching these divisions get even worse.
There's an old expression: A fish rots from the head down. I mention this because these kinds of failure of leadership have a tendency to spread — and amid reports of tumultuous infighting at the Pentagon, there's reason to believe it's already spreading.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.