In a surprising turn of events, US President Donald Trump has pushed back against reports claiming that billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk was briefed on America’s military strategy for a potential conflict with China.
Trump, speaking from the Oval Office on Friday, March 21, described the report as “fake” and emphasized that such sensitive military plans would never be shared with anyone, especially a businessman like Musk.
“I don’t want to show it to anybody. You know, you’re talking about a potential war with China,” Trump said.
“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.”
The comments followed a New York Times report alleging that Musk, who met with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon that same morning, had been given an exclusive briefing on US military plans for a war with China.
The report, which Trump slammed as “fake,” quickly caught the attention of the public, with many questioning Musk’s role in sensitive national security discussions.
Pentagon officials swiftly rejected the claims, stating that no such briefing had taken place during Musk’s visit.
The tech mogul, who is the owner of Tesla and SpaceX, has strong business ties with China, including partnerships that could be seen as a potential conflict of interest if he were indeed briefed on sensitive military strategies.
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Trump also acknowledged Musk’s commercial interests in China, noting that while Musk is a valuable asset to the US in other capacities, sharing war plans with him would be a questionable move.
“You wouldn’t show it to a businessman who is helping us so much,” Trump said, referring to Musk’s influence in the private sector.
Musk, who currently holds a top-secret security clearance as a special government employee under the Trump administration, has longstanding relationships with the US military, including lucrative contracts.
In October 2024, SpaceX, Musk’s aerospace company, was awarded $733 million in launch contracts by the US Space Force.
