Reuters, WASHINGTON
US President Donald Trump has denied a New York Times report that his close ally, billionaire Elon Musk, was due to be briefed by the Pentagon yesterday about the US military’s plan for any war that might break out with China.
“China will not even be mentioned or discussed,” Trump said in a post about the Pentagon meeting on Truth Social on Thursday.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a post on social media that the meeting would be “about innovation, efficiencies & smarter production.”
US President Donald Trump, right, talks to reporters next to Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk, with a Tesla car in the background, at the White House in Washington on March 11.
Photo: Reuters
A US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the briefing for Musk would be attended by senior US military officials in the Pentagon and would be an overview on a number of different topics, including China.
According to the New York Times report, the briefing would include 20 to 30 slides that lay out how the US would fight in a conflict with China. The newspaper cited two US officials it did not identify.
Access to the closely guarded military plan would mark a sharp expansion of Musk’s role as a Trump adviser who has spearheaded efforts to cut US government spending.