(The Hill) – President Trump late Thursday brushed off claims that tech billionaire Elon Musk would be briefed on potential war plans related to China during an upcoming meeting at the Pentagon, calling the notion “completely untrue.”
“The Fake News is at it again, this time the Failing New York Times. They said, incorrectly, that Elon Musk is going to the Pentagon tomorrow to be briefed on any potential ‘war with China.’ How ridiculous?” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“China will not even be mentioned or discussed,” he continued. “How disgraceful it is that the discredited media can make up such lies. Anyway, the story is completely untrue!!!”
Trump added in a subsequent post that the Times’ “FAKE concept for this story is that because Elon does some business in China, that he is very conflicted and would immediately go to top Chinese officials and ‘spill the beans.'”
“Elon is NOT BEING BRIEFED ON ANYTHING CHINA BY THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR!!!”
Trump was responding to reporting from The New York Times, citing administration officials, that the meeting would focus on U.S.-China relations.
Friday hearing set over Trump administration’s deportation flights
The China war plan consists of about 20-30 slides laying out how the U.S. would fight should a conflict arise, the Times reported. It also includes a timeline from the warning of a threat from Beijing to various options on targets to hit to the best times to execute those plans, according to the news outlet, which added that it would later be presented to the president.
Pentagon spokesperson Steve Parnell also dismissed the reporting in a post on social platform X.
“This is 100% Fake News. Just brazenly & maliciously wrong,” he wrote. “Elon Musk is a patriot. We are proud to have him at the Pentagon.”
The developments come after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth agreed to meet with Musk on Friday to discuss “innovation, efficiencies & smarter production,” according to The Associated Press.
Musk has been in the hot seat since advising the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) controversial work to overhaul the federal government and reduce its workforce. His presence at various official events, including the first meeting of Trump’s Cabinet, has raised eyebrows about how much influence he has on the president.
Elon Musk, Pete Hegseth to meet at the Pentagon to discuss ‘efficiencies’
Hegseth earlier Thursday announced that the Pentagon is canceling more than $580 million in grants and contracts that were deemed “wasteful spending.” These cuts are part of the administration’s work with Musk and DOGE, he said, and the programs were deemed “inconsistent” with Trump’s priorities.
“In other words, they are not a good use of taxpayer dollars,” the secretary said in a video posted to X.
The reduction comes just days after a senior defense official told reporters that the Defense Department intends to cut 50,000 to 60,000 civilian jobs — roughly 5 to 8 percent of the civilian workforce — over the next several months via voluntary resignations. The Pentagon will not replace the workers who choose to leave, according to the official.
Trump and Hegseth, who has been a vocal ally of DOGE, are expected to give joint remarks from the White House on Friday.
