“Why in the world is Elon there?” Trump is furious about the classified China war briefing

It turns out that Donald Trump himself gave the order to abruptly end a top-secret Pentagon conference intended to inform Elon Musk about the US military’s preparations in the case of conflict with China. The New York Times revealed the existence of the classified meeting on March 20, sparking a fierce backlash within the White House that ultimately led to its derailment, according to an explosive revelation from Axios.

Musk was at the heart of a significant scandal after being permitted to see material that was well over his security level. Trump reportedly yelled at his workers in a fit of rage behind closed doors:

How in the hell is Elon there? According to Axios, Trump stated, “Make sure he doesn’t go.”

Musk was initially scheduled to get a private national security briefing with Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, outlining the U.S. strategy for a potential battle with China. However, the idea sparked concerns within the government, particularly in light of Musk’s close financial links to China through Tesla, a matter that has long caused officials to feel uneasy.

Musk is a significant defense contractor through SpaceX, but his unusual balancing act between Chinese commercial interests and US military contracts raised concerns. One insider told Axios, “POTUS still loves Elon very much, but there are some red lines.” This briefing wasn’t appropriate, even though Elon has a lot of business and good relations in China.

Trump openly denounced the Times disclosure as “fake news” late at night, commenting on Truth Social: “They falsely claimed that Elon Musk would be briefed on any possible “war with China” at the Pentagon tomorrow. How absurd! The narrative is wholly false! However, according to Axios, Trump had already ordered the cancellation of the briefing by the time he posted that post.

Musk nevertheless attended a diluted meeting with Hegseth in the Pentagon the following day, where China was not even brought up. However, Trump felt compelled to extend his hand. He acknowledged worries about Musk’s connections to China when questioned by reporters: “You know, Elon has businesses in China, and he might be vulnerable to that, so I definitely wouldn’t want that.”

Musk criticized the leak and called for accountability in his response on X (previously Twitter): “I’m excited about the punishment of those Pentagon employees who are purposefully providing NYT with inaccurate information. They will be located. The consequences were immediate.

As part of the probe into the leak, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suspended two senior Pentagon officials, Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick, according to Politico and Reuters. According to reports, Selnick was even led out of the building. Additionally, there were other leaks being examined. According to Politico, the same investigation is examining information that has been leaked about U.S. military plans for the Red Sea, the Panama Canal, and intelligence gathering in Ukraine.

For the time being, the drama is just another tumultuous chapter in the complicated connection between the wealthiest man in the world and the most erratic president in contemporary history. Trump may “still love Elon,” but even love has its boundaries, particularly when it comes to giving billionaires access to secret military plans.