Breaking: Trump tells reporters to call Musk ‘whatever they like’ when asked billionaire’s role…..See More

In court filings earlier this week The White House claims that Elon Musk is not part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and rather a senior aid

While taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office on Monday President Donald Trump brushed off a question about Elon Musk’s official title within the federal government after The White House said he was not involved with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“Elon is, to me, a patriot. So, you know, you could call him an employee, you could call him a consultant, you could call him whatever you want. But he’s a patriot, I mean took at the kind of things,” Trump told reporters, referring to cost-cutting efforts Musk has made.

According to court filings, The White House asserts that Musk is an is an employee of the “White House Office” and not a part of DOGE but rather a senior aid to the president. Joshua Fisher, director of the White House Office of Administration said in the filings that Musk “has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself.”

Musk’s exact role could be key in the legal fight over DOGE’s access to government data as the Trump administration moves to lay off thousands of federal workers. Defining him as an adviser rather than the administrator in charge of day-to-day operations at DOGE could help the administration as it pushes back against a lawsuit arguing Musk has too much power for someone who isn’t elected or Senate-confirmed.

The declaration was filed Monday as the Trump administration fends off the lawsuit from several Democratic states that want to block Musk and the DOGE team from accessing government systems. The litigants say Musk is wielding “virtually unchecked power” in violation of the Constitution.

When asked about the possibility of SpaceX or DOGE employees working within government agencies that have contracts with Musk’s companies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Defense Department, the president said that Musk would remove himself from any conflicts of interest.

I’m just hearing about it and if there is … obviously I will not let there be any conflict of interest. He’s done an amazing job,” Trump said. “I told Elon, any conflicts you can’t have anything to do with that. So, anything to do with possibly even space, we won’t let Elon partake in that.”