Donald Trump shut down NBC News reporter Gabe Gutierrez, labeling him a ‘troublemaker’ after questioning the president about reports of an explosive cabinet meeting involving Elon Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

The tense moment occurred on Friday shortly after Trump had signed an executive order to set a White House Task Force for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

As Gutierrez attempted to bring up the alleged clash between Musk and Rubio during Thursday’s closed meeting, Trump cut him off mid-question.

‘No clash. I was there – you’re just a troublemaker,’ Trump snapped. ‘And you’re not supposed to be asking that question, because we’re talking about the World Cup.

‘Elon gets along great with Marco, and they’re both doing a fantastic job. There is no clash.’ 

Then, in classic Trump fashion, he quickly turned the tables: ‘Which outlet are you with?’

‘NBC,’ Gutierrez responded.

‘Ugh, no wonder,’ Trump shot back dismissively before turning away. ‘That’s enough. NBC.’

The incident came on the heels of a bombshell report from The New York Times, detailing a heated exchange between Musk and Rubio during a cabinet meeting the day before.

According to the report, Musk accused Rubio of failing to fire enough employees from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which falls under the State Department’s purview.

‘You have fired nobody,’ Musk is said to have told Rubio, even mockingly suggesting the only person Rubio had fired was a Musk-appointed staffer. 

Rubio, who had been fuming over Musk’s aggressive shutdowns for weeks, fired back. 

He pointed out that over 1,500 State Department officials had already taken buyouts under Trump’s federal workforce reduction initiative and sarcastically asked whether Musk wanted him to rehire them just so he could fire them again.

Trump, who was present for the fiery back-and-forth, reportedly sat back in his chair, arms folded, watching the drama unfold. 

As the argument dragged on, Trump finally stepped in, offering measured praise for both men: ‘Marco has a lot to deal with. He’s very busy, he’s always traveling and on TV, and he has an agency to run. Everyone just needs to work together.’

Onlookers say the meeting marked a pivotal moment in Trump’s second term, signaling the first time he sought to rein in Musk’s increasingly controversial role in government cost-cutting. 

While Trump had fully backed Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, Thursday’s meeting saw the president acknowledge that future cuts needed a ‘scalpel, not a hatchet.’

Musk, who has been a key ally of Trump’s administration and his largest political financial backer, has drawn criticism for his aggressive government cuts. 

His scorched-earth approach – firing thousands across federal agencies -has made him a controversial figure even within the president’s inner circle.

During the cabinet meeting, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also confronted Musk over reports that his team was trying to cut air traffic controllers, a move that Duffy warned could lead to increased aviation disasters. 

‘What am I supposed to do? I have multiple plane crashes to deal with now, and your people want me to fire air traffic controllers?’ Duffy told Musk.

Musk denied the accusation outright, demanding, ‘Give me their names. Tell me their names.’

Duffy held his ground, insisting that the proposed layoffs had been blocked before they could take effect. 

But the confrontation illustrated a growing divide within Trump’s cabinet between those who support Musk’s aggressive cost-cutting measures and those who fear the consequences of his rapid dismantling of federal agencies.