"Fire if you don't report emails" Trump sides with Musk... Agency heads oppose

After Summit with French President Macron
Trump Praises Musk's Directive as a "Creative Idea"
Mocks Federal Employees by Sharing SpongeBob Meme

U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. On the 24th (local time), President Trump praised Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), calling his directive for all federal employees to report recent work performance via email a "creative idea."

U.S. President Donald Trump praised Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), on the 24th (local time) for instructing all federal employees to report their recent work performance via email, calling it a "creative idea." This is interpreted as an attempt to support Musk amid controversies over the legality of the email reporting directive and resistance from the federal government.

At a press conference following a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House, President Trump was asked about Musk's email work performance reporting order. He responded, "There are people who do not come to work (in the government), and no one knows if they are working for the government."

He added, "The question 'What did you do last week?' is essentially asking if you are actually working," and said, "If you do not respond, you will be fired." This implies that failure to reply to the email likely indicates nonexistence or lack of work. President Trump also reiterated his long-standing claim of "hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud."

Earlier, CEO Musk had announced last week via his personal social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that he would instruct federal government employees to explain their work via email. In fact, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent an email containing the same request on the 22nd (local time), shortly after the X post was made. The directive included a warning that failure to respond could result in dismissal, and non-response would be considered resignation.

On the 23rd, former President Trump posted a 'meme' featuring the character 'Nemo Baji SpongeBob' on his personal social media platform, Truth Social. The meme included phrases such as 'Cried because of Trump,' 'Cried because of Elon,' 'Barely made it to the office,' and 'Read a few emails.'

On the 23rd, President Trump posted a meme featuring the character "Nemo Baji SpongeBob" on his personal social media platform Truth Social. The meme included phrases such as "Cried because of Trump," "Cried because of Elon," "Barely made it to the office," and "Read a few emails," conveying a tone that seemed to mock federal employees.

Confusion arose among federal government employees. Led by FBI Director Kashi Patel, appointed by the Trump administration, agencies including the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Department of Defense, Department of State, Department of Justice, and Department of Health and Human Services reportedly instructed their staff not to respond by the deadline of 11:59 PM on the 24th. According to Bloomberg Law, the federal judiciary also advised judges not to respond to the emails. Conversely, employees of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which the Trump administration is seeking to dismantle, were ordered to "respond." Some were asked to reply despite ongoing work stoppages. The U.S. Attorney's Office instructed its employees to respond "voluntarily."

The email responses submitted by federal employees are expected to be analyzed using artificial intelligence (AI) technology, according to U.S. CNBC. The plan is to utilize large language models (LLMs). Anonymous sources told CNBC, "The reason for banning links and attachments is part of a plan to transmit information to AI systems."

Concerns were also raised within conservative circles. Republican Senator John Curtis told CBS, "If I could say one thing to Elon Musk, it would be to 'have a little consideration,'" emphasizing, "These are real people, and their lives truly exist." He added, "The narrative that the government must be downsized and that harsh actions must be taken to do so is wrong. We can do both."

Meanwhile, according to U.S. CNN and others, organizations and unions representing employees dismissed during training periods have reportedly added Musk CEO's email reporting threat to their lawsuit list, arguing that it did not follow due legal process.