Question of loyalty | Trump-Musk rift casts shadow over new federal HR chief

The new director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has moved to quash speculation over his loyalty to Elon Musk, insisting his focus is solely on delivering Trump’s federal workforce agenda.

“I have zero personal relationship with Elon Musk. I have talked to Elon Musk once on the phone in my life,” said Scott Kupor, sworn in as OPM director earlier this month.

Kupor’s remarks followed internal concerns about the influence of Silicon Valley on Trump administration officials, sparked by a breakdown in the relationship between Trump and Musk, who publicly clashed after Musk finished his time working with the White House.

Trump’s agenda, not Musk’s

Kupor stated, “My job is to do the agenda that the president lays out to the best I can. But I'm not going to do it consistent with someone else's objectives that are inconsistent with what the president wants to do.”