Trump sharply denies Musk China briefing, citing business conflicts

President Trump on Friday denied that his administration would show billionaire Elon Musk details of the Pentagon’s planning for a potential war with China, citing Musk’s various business dealings as a reason to be extra cautious with such information.

“I don’t want to show it to anybody. You’re talking about a potential war with China,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I don’t want anybody seeing potential war with China. But I can tell you if we did, we’re very well-equipped to handle it.”

Trump also acknowledged if he were to share plans for a war with China, he would be unlikely to show it to someone with Musk’s background.

“You know, Elon has businesses in China, and he would be susceptible perhaps to that.”

Musk visited the Pentagon on Friday, where he met for more than an hour with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Trump and Hegseth said the meeting was focused on innovation and cutting costs. Musk has been leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has looked to slash federal spending and the size of the workforce.

“Elon Musk provides a lot of capabilities our government and our military rely on, and I'm grateful for that,” Hegseth said in the Oval Office. “We welcomed him today to the Pentagon to talk about DOGE, to talk about efficiencies, to talk about innovations. It was a great informal conversation.”

Administration officials aggressively pushed back on a New York Times report that Musk would receive a briefing on the U.S. military’s plan for a possible war with China. The Wall Street Journal published a similar report.

Trump’s comments were an acknowledgment that Musk’s vast financial interests could complicate his work with the government.

Musk is the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. His companies have billions of dollars worth of government contracts, including at the Pentagon, and he has significant financial interests in China.

Critics of Musk's involvement in the government have argued that the billionaire has a conflict of interest because of the contracts his companies have with the government. Trump administration officials, including the president have come under scrutiny for promoting Tesla products and stock in recent days.

Musk decried The New York Times as “pure propaganda” and called for individuals at the Pentagon leaking information to the news outlet to be prosecuted.

The Tesla CEO and the rest of his staff at DOGE have been going to nearly every government agency looking for ways to slash spending and cut the size of the workforce. Trump has said Cabinet secretaries should be the ones to determine which workers get cut, but that Musk has the authority to take action if needed.

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