By Kolawole Ojebisi
In what appears to be a departure from the norm in their newfound intimacy, President Donald Trump has said that Elon Musk should not be allowed to see top secret US plans for any war with China.
Trump said this on Friday, in a rare admission that his billionaire ally’s business links with China raised potential conflicts of interest.
The US president strongly denied media reports that the world’s richest man, who is now leading the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), would receive a classified Pentagon briefing on its war strategy.
Tesla and Space X boss Musk has major business interests in China but also has huge US defense contracts, while his status as an unelected advisor to Trump has raised concerns about his influence.
“I don’t want to show it to anybody. You’re talking about a potential war with China,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“Certainly you wouldn’t show it to a businessman who is helping us so much… Elon has businesses in China and he would be susceptible perhaps to that.”
Trump, who was unveiling a contract for Boeing to build the next-generation F-47 fighter jet, described Musk as a “patriot” and hailed his efforts to slash back the US federal government, including the Defense Department.
Musk was also at the Pentagon on Friday, but Trump attacked reports, first published in the New York Times, about the visit.
“They really are the enemy of the people,” Trump said of the Times, which reported Musk was to receive a briefing in a secure room dubbed “The Tank” on maritime tactics and targeting plans.
The paper said the briefing was called off after it was publicized. Trump’s position is coming amid intense rivalry between the United States and China.
Tensions have soared between the two countries since Trump’s inauguration as the world’s two largest economies hit each other with tariffs.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hailed the “amazing visit” by Musk to the Pentagon. “I look forward to continuing our work together,” Hegseth said on X.
Musk joined the chorus of criticism of the Times, labelling it “pure propaganda” on his social media platform X.”I’ve been to the Pentagon many times over many years. Not my first time in the building,” he wrote.
Recall that Musk has business links with China. His automaker Tesla produces some of its electric vehicles at a huge so-called gigafactory in Shanghai and is trying to compete with fast-growing Chinese manufacturers.
The entrepreneur has become a cult figure in China and has fostered ties with its leadership.
In the United States, Trump has repeatedly insisted that Musk has no conflicts of interest, even as Musk leads a harsh overhaul of US government agencies that in some cases his companies allegedly have dealings with.
Musk’s SpaceX is said to have US government defense contracts worth billions of dollars, including for launching rockets and for the use of the Starlink satellite service.
Trump has further reportedly blurred the line by promoting Tesla cars after attacks by vandals over Musk’s links to the White House. Trump suggested Friday that such vandals could be deported to prisons in El Salvador.
Democrats have meanwhile faulted Trump for handing administration policy to Musk despite him undergoing no background checks and heading companies with government contracts.
