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President Donald Trump revealed that he made a late-night phone call to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth after seeing a report about Elon Musk’s visit to the Pentagon.
During an Oval Office briefing, Trump dismissed a New York Times article that claimed Musk was receiving a classified briefing on U.S. military plans concerning a potential conflict with China. He strongly criticized the publication, labeling it “the enemy of the people.”
Trump Criticises the Report
Speaking at the briefing, Trump defended Musk’s visit, calling him “a great patriot” who has helped cut costs and expose government inefficiencies.
“He’s taken a big price for helping us cut costs, and he’s doing a great job. He’s finding tremendous waste, fraud, and abuse,” Trump said. However, he acknowledged Musk’s business ties with China, saying, “I certainly wouldn’t want—you know, Elon has businesses in China, and he would be susceptible, perhaps, to that. But it was such a fake story.”
Denouncing the New York Times, Trump added, “The New York Times is just as fake as CNN and MSNBC. Anybody who read that story, people laughed at that story. Who would do such a thing?”
Trump Responds to the Claims
Trump described his immediate reaction upon reading the article: “The first thing I did is I called Susie and I called Pete. I said, ‘Is there any truth to that?’ And they said, ‘It’s ridiculous. No, he’s over there to talk about cost.’”
He continued, “You might want to address that, Pete, but Elon was over there today to address the cost. Doge, thing called Doge…”
The New York Times article, citing unnamed officials, claimed that Musk was set to receive a briefing on U.S. military strategy in the event of a conflict with China. According to the report, the briefing would include 20 to 30 slides outlining U.S. war plans, a move that would significantly expand Musk’s advisory role in the Trump administration.
Administration’s Swift Response
Following the publication of the article, Trump and members of his administration quickly took to social media to denounce the claims.
“How ridiculous. China will not even be mentioned or discussed,” Trump posted online.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also responded, writing, “We look forward to welcoming @elonmusk to the Pentagon tomorrow. But the fake news delivers again—this is NOT a meeting about ‘top secret China war plans.’ It’s an informal meeting about innovation, efficiencies & smarter production. Gonna be great!”
Musk’s Reaction
Musk himself weighed in on the controversy, taking to his platform, X, to express his frustration.
“The New York Times is pure propaganda,” Musk wrote. “Also, I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT. They will be found.”
