Inside Elon Musk's Security Clearance as a Special White House Adviser to Donald Trump

After Elon Musk was named as an important person in Donald Trump's Cabinet for his second term in office, there was a lot of buzz about the "government efficiency czar." Now, people want to know if Elon Musk has security clearance in the White House and in the government overall. As someone who hammed up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and appears in the Oval Office often, Elon clearly appears to have some pull.

Apparently, though, Elon is not the official leader of DOGE. According to government filings, the White House Office of Administration Director Joshua Fischer stated that Elon is instead an official adviser to Trump rather than the head of DOGE, and that he is a "non career special government employee." Maybe that means he is less important than some original thought, or somehow, more. But what does that mean for Elon's security clearance?

While Elon does work within DOGE, his primary position appears to be as Trump's special adviser. And Elon has addressed questions about what his position in the White House means for any privileges he gets when it comes to clearances within the government. He tweeted about it on X (formerly Twitter) on Feb. 14, 2025.

"I've had a top secret clearance for many years and have clearances that themselves are classified," he wrote, which confirmed that, prior to being named as a member of Trump's team, he was apparently given some kind of security clearance. He added, "That said, FAR too much information is made "classified". If something is easily found online or patently obvious, it should NOT be classified. This impedes effective communication within the government."

According to the FBI, top secret clearance is as important as it sounds. The website for the department explains, "A Top Secret clearance may be granted to those persons who have a 'need-to-know' national security information, classified up to the Top Secret level, and who need unescorted access to FBI facilities, when necessary."

The Justice Department's explanation for Elon's role as a special government employee means he is someone "who works, or is expected to work, for the government for 130 days or less in a 365-day period." CNN reported that Elon does have a top secret clearance and that he maintains an office in the White House.

Elon likely already had some sort of security clearance because of his involvement in his aerospace company SpaceX. According to The New York Times, Elon had a security clearance already because of his work at SpaceX, which reportedly gives him access to advanced United States military technology.

While Elon continues to work with Trump and face questions and criticism from those who still don't quite understand his role in the White House, he does have some form of security clearance. And for many, that raises even more questions.