Trump-appointed officials at some government agencies — including the F.B.I., the State Department and the office coordinating America’s intelligence agencies — told their employees not to respond after Elon Musk ordered workers across the federal government to summarize in an email their accomplishments for the week or be removed from their positions.

President Donald Trump defended Elon Musk's email demand to federal employees, telling them to explain their recent accomplishments or risk getting fired, even as government agency officials were told that compliance with Musk's edict was voluntary.