WASHINGTON, July 21 (Reuters) - The new chief of the

agency spearheading efforts to slash the federal workforce said

on Monday he had no personal ties to tech billionaire and former

Trump advisor Elon Musk, pledging to faithfully execute

President Donald Trump's agenda.

"I have zero personal relationship with Elon Musk. I have

talked to Elon Musk once on the phone in my life," Scott Kupor,

who was sworn in to lead the Office of Personnel Management

earlier this month, told reporters.

The comments underscored lingering questions about the

loyalties of Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs among Trump

administration officials following a public spat between Trump

and Musk that led to a deep rift between the two former allies.

Kupor said he had told Trump and other people in the White

House that "my job is to do the agenda that the president lays

out to the best I can."

"But I'm not going to do it consistent with someone else's

objectives that are inconsistent with what the president wants

to do," he added.

Musk, who spent over a quarter of a billion dollars to help

Trump win November's presidential election, led the Department

of Government Efficiency's efforts to slash the budget and cut

the federal workforce until his departure in late May to refocus

on his tech empire, including electric vehicle maker Tesla

.

While Trump hailed Musk's tenure upon his departure, the

president quickly pulled the nomination of Musk ally and tech

entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Reuters previously

reported that Musk was disappointed by Isaacman's removal.

The president also threatened to cancel billions of dollars

worth of contracts between the federal government and Musk's

companies after Musk denounced Trump's tax-cut and spending bill

as a "disgusting abomination."

Prior to taking the helm at OPM, Kupor was a partner at

Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz,

which invests in Musk's AI startup Xai as well as SpaceX.