Elon Musk emerges as a polarizing central figure in Trump's presidency

Elon Musk has emerged as the central player other than President Donald Trump in his three-week-old presidency.

The tech titan turned government cost cutter has sparked fierce debate with a blitz of shocking moves at federal agencies.

Critics say his team with the new Department of Government Efficiency is disregarding the law and the constitutional separation of powers.

The rapid-fire Musk assault on federal agencies has sparked protests and lawsuits.

The United States Agency for International Development which provides roughly $40 billion in foreign aid for everything from preventing polio to famine relief closed its Washington D.C. headquarters last week and notified roughly 10,000 employees they are on administrative leave.

Trump ’s team is trying to shutter the agency and move it under the State Department .

A federal judge blocked DOGE from accessing the Treasury payment system while a court challenge proceeds and ordered any material downloaded from the system to be destroyed.

“As long as he stays in his lane he'll be fine,” Spicer said.

Spicer said “that’s always a danger” in a Trump White House , pointing to former senior White House adviser Steve Bannon .

“Elon can’t do — and won't — anything without our approval, and we’ll give him the approval where appropriate. Where not appropriate, we won't," Trump said.