Tech mogul and senior adviser to former President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, recently visited the Pentagon for briefings, sparking widespread debate. Initial reports from US media suggested that Musk would receive an overview of American military strategies in the event of a potential conflict with China. However, Trump quickly denied these claims, stating, "China will not even be mentioned or discussed."
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, responded to the reports by calling for legal action against officials he accused of leaking "maliciously false information" to the New York Times, which first broke the story. Despite the controversy, Musk's visit to the Pentagon highlighted his significant influence, given that his companies hold billions of dollars in federal defense contracts.
As Musk left the Pentagon around 10:21 AM local time on Friday, he briefly addressed reporters, saying, "It's always a great meeting. I've been here before, you know," before departing.
The New York Times had initially reported that Musk would be briefed on US war plans involving China during his visit. However, subsequent reports from NBC News and Politico clarified that the meeting would only involve unclassified information. An unnamed US official told Reuters that the briefing would cover a broad range of topics, including China, but not in the context of war plans.
Trump strongly refuted the New York Times' claims, calling the report "ridiculous" and "disgraceful." He emphasized, "China will not even be mentioned or discussed. How disgraceful it is that the discredited media can make up such lies. Anyway, the story is completely untrue!!!"
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also denied the report, stating on social media platform X that the meeting was not about "top secret China war plans" but rather an informal discussion focused on "innovation, efficiencies, and smarter production."
When questioned by reporters about the meeting, Trump reiterated his stance, saying, "We don't want to have a potential war with China, but I can tell you if we did, we're very well equipped to handle it. But I don't want to show [the plan] to anybody." He also expressed concerns about Musk's visit, noting potential conflicts of interest due to Musk's business ties in China. "You wouldn't show it to a businessman," Trump said. "Elon has businesses in China, and he would be susceptible perhaps to that."
Tesla, Musk's electric vehicle company, operates two facilities in Shanghai, while his other ventures, Starlink and SpaceX, have significant contracts with the Pentagon. Since Trump's return to the White House, Musk, in his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), has been leading a task force aimed at reducing government spending through budget cuts and workforce reductions.
