US President Donald Trump has dismissed a report by The New York Times claiming that Elon Musk is set to receive a Pentagon briefing on US military contingency plans for a potential war with China.
Trump called the report “ridiculous” and “completely untrue.”
Citing unnamed US officials, the report said that Musk would be briefed on Friday by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and top military leaders.
The highly classified briefing on the China war plan is said to consist of approximately 20 to 30 slides detailing the US strategy for a potential conflict.
It outlines the timeline from the initial signs of a threat from China to the strategic options available, including target selection and engagement duration.
Other media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, also reported that Musk was set to receive the briefing, with one source claiming that Musk himself had requested it.
The Washington Post separately stated that Musk was scheduled to receive an unclassified briefing focusing on the threat posed by China.
Trump Admin’s denial
Late Thursday, Trump refuted the Times report in a social media post, stating that “China will not even be mentioned or discussed” in Musk’s meeting at the Pentagon.
Hegseth also denied claims that Musk would receive a classified briefing, saying the meeting was instead an “informal discussion about innovation, efficiencies, and smarter production.”
Hegseth wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
We look forward to welcoming Elon Musk to the Pentagon tomorrow. But the fake news delivers again — this is NOT a meeting about “top secret China war plans.” It’s an informal meeting about innovation, efficiencies & smarter production. Gonna be great!
Musk, a close adviser and major backer of Trump, has played a key role in the Department of Government Efficiency, an initiative aimed at cutting federal staffing and spending.
His companies, including SpaceX and Tesla, hold billions of dollars in federal contracts, including agreements with the Pentagon.
However, Musk also has extensive business interests in China, where Tesla operates a major manufacturing hub and sells tens of thousands of electric vehicles each month.
This has led to concerns over potential conflicts of interest in his growing involvement in US government affairs.
While military tensions between the US and China have escalated in recent years—especially regarding Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea—there are no signs of an imminent war.
The White House has previously stated that Musk would recuse himself if conflicts arise between his business interests and his government advisory role.
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