U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday (February 24) said an email demand by his adviser Elon Musk telling federal workers to list their accomplishments in the past week or be fired was "great" and, without offering any evidence, said it was necessary to find federal workers who are not working.

Musk says all US govt staff must justify their work or lose jobs

Trump made the comments during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House on Monday (February 24).

The email opened divisions in Trump's administration, as some agencies told workers to respond by Monday night and others said to ignore it.

Musk's directive to the nation's 2.3 million civil-service workers required they provide a five-point summary of their work by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time (0459 GMT).