President Donald Trump has denied a report by The New York Times stating that Tesla CEO Elon Musk is scheduled to receive a briefing on U.S. military contingency plans in case of war with China. The report, which cited unnamed U.S. officials, claimed that Musk would be briefed on Friday by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and top military leaders about the American military’s strategies regarding a potential conflict with China.
The Times report suggested that such a briefing would expose some of the Pentagon’s most closely held strategic thinking to Musk, a billionaire businessman with significant commercial ties to China. This raised concerns among critics, given Musk’s extensive business dealings in the country, including Tesla’s operations in China.
However, Trump dismissed the report as “ridiculous” and “completely untrue” in a late Thursday post on social media. Trump further claimed that “China will not even be mentioned or discussed” during Musk’s visit to the Pentagon. His comments came in response to the mounting attention the story had garnered in the media.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also addressed the reports, confirming that Musk would indeed visit the Pentagon on Friday but labeling the claims about Musk being briefed on top-secret military plans as “fake news.” In a social media post, Hegseth clarified that the meeting would be “informal” and focused on topics such as “innovation, efficiencies, and smarter production,” rather than military strategies.
The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post also covered the story, with the Journal citing sources who claimed that Musk had requested the briefing. The Washington Post reported that Musk was expected to receive an unclassified briefing that would focus on the strategic threat posed by China, though it emphasized that this would not involve classified or sensitive operational details.
The conflicting reports have raised questions about the nature of Musk’s upcoming visit to the Pentagon, with some speculating that the briefings may be more related to innovation and production efficiencies rather than military operations. As of now, it remains unclear what topics will be discussed during the meeting, but official sources continue to downplay the idea of any top-secret briefings taking place.
Musk’s visit to the Pentagon and the accompanying reports have drawn significant attention, especially in the context of growing U.S.-China tensions and Musk’s prominent role in the tech and business worlds.
