U.S. President Donald Trump pushed back on reports claiming that Elon Musk was briefed on U.S. military plans for a potential war with China at the Pentagon on Friday, saying he wouldn’t want to show such plans “to anybody.”
“I don’t want to show it to anybody. You know, you’re talking about a potential war with China,” Trump said in remarks from the Oval Office. “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.”
Trump’s comments came amid speculation over why Musk was at the Pentagon on Friday morning, where he met with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for over an hour. The New York Times reported Thursday that Musk was receiving a briefing on the U.S. military’s plan for potential conflict with China. Pentagon officials resoundingly dismissed the reporting on social media on Thursday.
Trump acknowledged Friday that Musk also has his own business interests in China, which could pose a conflict of interest if he was briefed on a potential war plan with the nation.
“I don’t want to show that to anybody – but certainly, you wouldn’t show it to a businessman who is helping us so much,” the president said. “You know, Elon has businesses in China, and he would be susceptible, perhaps, to that – but it was such a fake story.”
It has been reported that Musk — who is serving as a special government employee under Trump — has a top-secret security clearance.