CAUSE AND EFFECT

White House Aides Blame Trump Loyalist for Fueling Musk Feud

Insiders say a breakdown in Trump-Musk relations began when Musk’s pick to lead NASA was rejected.

President Donald Trump’s feud with Elon Musk shows no sign of abating, and inside the MAGA machine the knives are out for one of the president’s closest aides.

Axios reported that furious Trump advisers are pointing the finger at Sergio Gor, the president’s personnel chief and longtime family loyalist, for pushing Trump to torpedo Musk’s top choice to lead NASA, billionaire entrepreneur and astronaut Jared Isaacman.

According to the advisers, Isaacman’s rejection for the role had to do with his previous donations to Democratic organizations, as was previously reported.

Yet the advisers said it was Gor in particular who repeatedly opposed the nomination to Trump behind the scenes—sealing the decision to pull Isaacman’s nomination.

Gor—who co-founded a publishing venture with Donald Trump Jr.—reportedly oversees key loyalty tests for the Trump administration’s hires and is known for ruthlessly protecting Trump’s interests. He reportedly “spun up the president” against Isaacman “by just constantly mentioning the donations,” a Trump adviser told Axios.

In a Wednesday interview with the “All-In Podcast‚” Isaacman appeared to mention Gor as the “influential adviser” who had Trump’s ear while reviewing his associations. He also suggested that his relationship with Musk didn’t do him any favors as changes were being made in the White House.

“I’m not going to play dumb on this—I don’t think timing was much of a coincidence… there were other changes going on the same day,” said Isaacman.

He added, “The President’s got to make a call and move on.”

Trump announced in a May 31 Truth Social post that he was withdrawing Isaacman’s nomination days before he was set to be confirmed by the Senate, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

He added that the withdrawal came after a “thorough review” of Isaacman’s “prior associations” and he will soon “announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space.”

On Thursday, taking press questions in the Oval Office, Trump suggested pulling Isaacman’s nomination was one of many reasons Musk was “upset” and torching him online. Musk even threatened to pull SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft from NASA missions before awkwardly backpedaling, AP reported.

Meanwhile, both men have seen their stock portfolios take major hits amid the escalating drama.

Axios quoted White House communications director Steven Cheung saying in a written statement that Gor “is a vital member of the team and he has helped President Trump put together an administration that is second to none.”

The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for a response.

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Tom LatchemLead Global Correspondent

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