U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected a report by The New York Times claiming that Elon Musk was set to receive a classified Pentagon briefing on U.S. military plans for a possible conflict with China. Trump called the report false, stating there were no plans to discuss China-related war strategies with Musk.
“China will not even be mentioned or discussed,” Trump said in a post about the Pentagon meeting on Truth Social on Thursday.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said in a post on X that the meeting would be “about innovation, efficiencies & smarter production.”
A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the briefing for Musk would be attended by senior U.S. military officials in the Pentagon and would be an overview on a number of different topics, including China.
The controversy has sparked concerns about Musk’s influence in U.S. defense matters, given his extensive business ties, including operations in China and government contracts with SpaceX. While the Pentagon confirmed Musk’s scheduled visit, officials clarified that discussions would focus on innovation and defense technology rather than strategic war plans.
According to the New York Times report, the briefing would include 20 to 30 slides that lay out how the United States would fight in a conflict with China. The newspaper cited two U.S. officials it did not identify.
Access to the closely guarded military plan would mark a sharp expansion of Musk’s role as a Trump adviser who has spearheaded efforts to cut U.S. government spending.
It would also fuel questions about conflicts of interest for Musk, who as the head of Tesla and SpaceX has business interests in China and with the Pentagon.
The White House has previously said Musk will recuse himself if any conflicts of interest arise between his business dealings and his role in cutting federal government spending.
Washington and Beijing have had tense relations for years over differences ranging from access to technology, trade tariffs and cybersecurity to TikTok, Taiwan, Hong Kong, human rights and the origins of COVID-19.
(With inputs from Reuters)
