WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to meet with billionaire Elon Musk at the Pentagon on Friday to discuss “innovation, efficiencies & smarter production.”
Musk, who serves as an advisor to President Donald Trump, has led efforts through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reduce the size of the government. He’s faced intense blowback from some lawmakers and voters for his layoffs and cuts to programs. However, Trump’s supporters have praised his approach.
This morning, Trump is pushing back on reports in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal that Musk would be briefed on future war plans with China.
Trump posted on Truth Social that “China will not even be mentioned or discussed.”
The papers reported that Musk would be given access to some of the Pentagon’s most sensitive information, including soldier tactics and targeting plans for a potential conflict.
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The discussions are set to take place in a secure conference room at the Pentagon, typically reserved for high-level meetings, per The New York Times.
The meeting has raised concerns about Musk’s reach as Trump’s advisor and potential conflicts of interest.
Trump, Hegseth deny briefing on China war plans
Both Trump and Hegseth have denied that the meeting will involve any discussion of China-related war plans.
Hegseth clarified on Musk’s X platform that “this is NOT a meeting about ‘top secret China war plans,’” in response to a report by The New York Times.
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Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed Musk’s visit on Friday but provided few additional details.
“The Defense Department is excited to welcome Elon Musk to the Pentagon on Friday. He was invited by Secretary Hegseth and is just visiting,” Parnell said in a statement to NewsNation.
Hegseth is also scheduled to deliver remarks with Trump at the White House Friday morning.
Pentagon meeting draws growing concern
The meeting is drawing increasing scrutiny due to Musk’s connections with both the U.S. military and China, as head of both Tesla and SpaceX. SpaceX is a defense contractor for the U.S. government.
While Musk holds a security clearance, he is not part of the military chain of command.
The White House has previously stated that Musk would recuse himself if any conflicts of interest came out of his plans to slash government spending.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
