‘Elon Musk’s Ties With China Makes Him Susceptible’: Trump Dismisses Report of Sharing War Plans With DOGE Head

Washington: Refuting media reports which claimed that the Pentagon is briefing Elon Musk about war plans with China, US President Donald Trump said that his administration would never disclose such sensitive information to a businessman with ‘business ties’ to Beijing, as it could make him ‘susceptible’.

Trump alongside Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth categorically denied a report published in a US English Daily ‘The New York Times’ at a press briefing.

Won't Show War Plans To Elon Musk, says Trump

“I wouldn’t show potential war plans to anybody. We don’t want to have a potential war with China, but if we did we are very well equipped to handle it. I don’t want to show that plan to anybody, certainly not to a businessman (Elon Musk) who is helping us so much and is a great patriot. But Elon has business in China and he would be susceptible to that perhaps.…Elon will never put himself in that position,” US President Trump told reporters.  

Calling the news report a “total garbage”, Trump said that people will definitely laugh at that story. “It was such a fake story”.

However, the Trump administration confirmed Elon Musk’s presence inside the Pentagon.

“Elon was there (Pentagon) to talk about DOGE and efficiency. There was no discussion on Chinese war plans,” Defence Secretary Hegseth said.

Elon Musk Reacts on NYT Report

Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency in the Trump administration reacted sharply to the media reports and said that he looks forward to prosecution of Pentagon employees who leaked the “false information” to the newspaper.

“The New York Times is pure propaganda. Also, I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT. They will be found,” Elon Musk posted on X.

Also Read: Musk’s Pentagon Visit Sparks Controversy

Musk’s visit comes amid concerns about his dual role as a senior adviser to the president while his companies, including SpaceX, hold lucrative government contracts. Critics argue that this could create conflicts of interest, particularly with SpaceX’s deals with the Pentagon and NASA.