Elon Musk visited the Pentagon on Friday for a scheduled briefing that officials said focused on government innovation and efficiency, rejecting reports suggesting the session would involve sensitive U.S. military plans related to a potential conflict with China.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, and President Donald Trump all denied a New York Times report claiming Musk was to be briefed on contingency strategies for war with China. "This is NOT a meeting about 'top secret China war plans.' It's an informal meeting about innovation, efficiencies & smarter production," Hegseth wrote on X.
Musk, who serves as head of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), attended the meeting alongside senior Pentagon officials. Two U.S. defense officials confirmed to NBC News that the session was unclassified and emphasized Musk's role in supporting federal cost-cutting initiatives. However, they declined to confirm claims that the meeting included discussion of an operational plan involving China.
Trump also pushed back on the Times report in a Truth Social post late Thursday. "China will not even be mentioned or discussed. How disgraceful it is that the discredited media can make up such lies. Anyway, the story is completely untrue!!!" the president wrote.
The New York Times had reported that the briefing for Musk would include 20 to 30 slides detailing U.S. military plans for conflict scenarios involving China, citing unnamed U.S. officials. If accurate, the report would suggest a significant expansion of Musk's access to classified defense information, raising fresh questions about potential conflicts of interest given Musk's leadership roles at Tesla and SpaceX-companies with financial ties to both the U.S. government and China.
The Pentagon's Parnell dismissed the article as "100% Fake News," describing Musk as "a patriot" and stating, "We are proud to have him at the Pentagon."
A U.S. official speaking to Reuters on the condition of anonymity confirmed Musk would be briefed on a broad range of topics, including China, but denied that classified war plans were part of the discussion.
The White House has previously stated that Musk would recuse himself from any situations where his business dealings conflict with his advisory role in the Trump administration. Musk's companies, notably SpaceX, have extensive contracts with the Department of Defense, including satellite and launch services, and Tesla has significant business exposure in China, which has further complicated perceptions of his dual role.
