President Trump said Monday that billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk can’t do anything without approval from the White House, suggesting if there’s a conflict of opinion with Musk that he would be blocked from acting.

Trump was asked why is it important for Musk to have access to payment systems at the Treasury Department after Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) officials have demanded access to the systems that officials use to disburse funds.

“He’s got access only to letting people go that he thinks are no good, if we agree with him and it’s only if we agree with him,” Trump said in response in the Oval Office.

He added that Musk “can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval.”

“We’ll give him the approval when appropriate, where not appropriate, we won’t. But he reports in, and it’s something that he feels very strongly about,” the president said. “If there’s conflict, then we won’t let him get near it.”

He said that Musk has a talented team around him, and he has the task of shrinking government, reiterating that Musk will be blocked from anything that conflicts with the thinking of the administration.

“Where we think there’s a conflict or if there’s a problem, we won’t let him go near it,” Trump added.

“If there was something that didn’t have my OK, I’d let you know about it very fast,” the president said.

He also said there are other talented people around the White House and mentioned media mogul Rupert Murdoch and Oracle Chief Technology Officer Larry Ellison, who were also in the room.

Musk said earlier Monday he and Trump “agreed” to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) after Trump said his administration will get the “lunatics” out of the agency before a decision is made about its future.

Trump, also on Sunday night, called Musk smart but said he won’t always listen to his advice on cutting costs in the federal government.

“I think Elon is doing a good job. He’s a big cost-cutter. Sometimes we won’t agree with it, and we’ll not go where he wants to go. But I think he’s doing a great job. He’s a smart guy. Very smart. And he’s very much into cutting the budget of our federal budget,” the president said.

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