Donald Trump said Friday that plans for a possible war with China should not be shared with Elon Musk for his business interests.
Trump declined to report that Musk would be explained about how he will fight the hypothetical war with China, saying, “Ellon has business in China, and he will probably be susceptible to it.”
Musk’s references to businesses, including Tesla, an electric car manufacturer seeking to expand sales and production in China, are an unusual recognition of concerns about balancing Musk’s corporate and government responsibilities.
Trump had previously dismissed questions about Musk’s potential conflict of interest, but he simply said he would make it clear if necessary.
The president said Musk will visit the Pentagon Friday morning to discuss the cost reductions he has been working on through the so-called “Doctor of Government Efficiency” (DOGE).
Defense Secretary Pete Hegses said Musk is there “to talk about efficiency, to talk about innovation.”
Musk said he left the Pentagon and was ready “anything that could help.” He also refused to answer questions about whether he received a classified briefing on China as part of his visit.
As Trump’s main advisor and head of Doge, Musk has used extensive force in two months since Trump returned to the White House, making massive layoffs and cutting budgets across the federal government. But while the Pentagon lined up to be targeted for job offers, Musk has yet to play a role there, including defence intelligence and military operations.
Senior defense officials told reporters Tuesday that employment of around 50,000 to 60,000 civilians would be cut in the Department of Defense.
Musk’s involvement in US plans and dealings with China will raise questions about not only security concerns but also beneficial conflicts. Because he has considerable economic benefits for China as the owner of Tesla and SpaceX, which also has contracts with the US Air Force.
Earlier on Friday morning, Musk was described as a war with China, calling it “pure propaganda” and denied reports of threats to find people who leaked information.
“We look forward to prosecuting the Pentagon people who are leaking malicious and false information,” he wrote. “They’ll be found.”
Musk repeated his request for such a prosecution when he arrived at the Department of Defense, outside Washington, D.C., on Friday morning. He left the Pentagon about 90 minutes after arriving.
A Pentagon spokesman was asked by email to explain the true purpose of the mask briefing, taking into account the administration’s denial that it would involve a presumed war plan with China, and introduced the Guardian to a statement posted on social media by Hegses.
To announce the new Air Force fighter jets at Friday’s meeting at the White House, both Trump and Hegustes firmly rejected reports that a Pentagon plan was presented regarding a potential conflict with China during their visit earlier that day.
“They made it up because it’s a good story. They’re very dishonest people,” Trump said of the New York Times report. “I called out Pete (Heggs), and I said: ‘Is there any truth to that?” It’s not absolutely not, he’s there for the Doge, and if you mentioned China, I think he’ll leave the room. ”
Heggs reflected Trump’s notion that the visit focused on discussing government efficiency initiatives and innovation opportunities, adding that “there is no Chinese war plan.”
“We welcomed him to the Pentagon today (“Government Efficiency”), to talk about efficiency, to talk about innovation. It was a great informal conversation,” he said.
Sign up for This week at Trumpland
A deep dive into the policies, controversy and eccentricity surrounding the Trump administration
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising, and content funded by external parties. For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy. We use Google Recaptcha to protect our website and the application of Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
After the newsletter promotion
Hegseth suggested that the report was intentionally intended to “harm the relationship the Pentagon has.”
However, some military experts still express concern about the level of access to masks’ confidential information.
Wesley Clark, a retired general and former NATO commander-in-chief, told CNN in an interview Friday afternoon that the administration is “cutting down many corners in many areas.”
“It’s not a problem to make a general impression on him. We do this for the contractor, but it’s a conflict of interest. I’m more interested in profits overseas.
“I’m worried that Elon Musk is coming to the Pentagon and saying, ‘I’m high-tech, there are smart people in Silicon Valley, and these generals don’t know anything.’ You really need to be careful about jumping to the next shiny object: ”
According to a report by the New York Times, the meeting was scheduled to take place not in the usual informal meetings on innovation, but in Hegzes’ offices, which are usually held in a safe conference room known as the “tank” used for high-level meetings. Musk was described as a plan that includes 20-30 slides, detailing how the US military will fight conflict with China.
Officials who spoke anonymously in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal presented potential reasons why Musk is being briefed. The Times suggested that Musk may be considering sorting out the Pentagon’s budget in his Doge capabilities, and that he needs to know what military assets the US will use in a potential conflict with China.
A source told the journal that Musk had received the briefing.
Musk has “top secret” clearance within the federal government, but SpaceX’s lawyer advised him in December not to seek a higher level of security clearance that would likely be denied due to his foreign bonds and personal drug use.
The Associated Press contributed to reporting
