JD Vance Gets The Last Laugh As Trump Tosses Elon Musk Out In The Cold

While Elon Musk's enthusiasm for Donald Trump's new administration has been evident, it doesn't seem like the world's richest man will be calling shots in the West Wing any time soon. In a move that likely delighted the largely sidelined Vice President JD Vance, President Trump told reporters at a press conference on January 20 that Musk's office — as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — would be located in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, a part of the White House but not part of the West Wing, where the power players operate.

This may come as a blow to Musk, who has been trying for a MAGA takeover of sorts in an effort to gain access to Trump's inner circle and have more facetime with and influence over the president. The New York Times reported that Musk had been badgering officials for quite some time about his level of access to the oval office and the DOGE office's placement in the West Wing. According to Trump, however, it looks like Musk might not get what he clearly wants.

Trump told reporters (via the New York Post) that Musk won't be oval office adjacent, and implied that DOGE will not have a huge role to play in the bigger picture of his administration. "He's getting an office for about 20 people that we're hiring to make sure these (executive orders) get implemented," Trump explained, seemingly downplaying the significance of the program.

Despite its misleading name, DOGE is not actually an established department. Instead, it's a special commission or task force organized to lead the push when it comes to slashing federal budgets. Trump officially created DOGE as a government entity via signing an executive order on January 21. As the head of DOGE, it's still unclear whether or not Elon Musk is an official special government employee or not, and the federal regulations regarding ethics rules and disclosure regulations could prove to have serious ramifications on Musk's personal business ventures. Those questions linger as the Trump administration pushes forward with a flurry of executive orders.

In his short time as head of DOGE, Musk has reportedly made some big moves to increase his own prominence and profile in the administration. Originally, he was set to co-head the team alongside businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. However, Ramaswamy opted to focus his efforts on his run for Governor of Ohio. According to a report from Politico, Musk's machinations for sole control of DOGE accelerated Ramaswamy's departure.

Many in the media have also noticed that Musk has seemingly overshadowed Vice President JD Vance at every turn over the past few weeks, even joining a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in November 2024, and partying at Mar-A-Lago over the holidays. However, despite Trump's chumminess with Musk, at least Vance will actually have an office to call his own in the West Wing.