- Title: Trump denies Musk to be briefed on top-secret plan for potential war with China
- Date: 21st March 2025
- Summary: BLACK PEAK SUMMIT, VITOSHA MOUNTAIN, BULGARIA (MARCH 21, 2025) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DRONE VIEWS OF BLACK PEAK SUMMIT VARIOUS OF ULTRAMARATHON RUNNER VICTOR ASENOV AND PACERS, VOLUNTEERS WHO SET PACE OF RUN VARIOUS OF VIEWS OF SOFIA FROM BLACK PEAK SUMMIT (SOUNDBITE) (Bulgarian) ULTRAMARATHON RUNNER, VICTOR ASENOV, SAYING: "Everesting is starting from one point to another s
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: China Donald Trump Elon Musk Pentagon military
- Location: INTERNET / NEW YORK, NEW YORK, BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES / UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION
- City: INTERNET / NEW YORK, NEW YORK, BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES / UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION
- Country: US
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,North America,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA004055321032025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: U.S. 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 on Friday (March 21) about the U.S. 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 social media website, Truth Social, on Thursday (March 20).
A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the briefing for Musk would be attended by senior U.S. 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 United States would fight in a conflict with China. The newspaper cited two U.S. 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 U.S. government spending. It would also fuel questions about conflicts of interest for Musk, who as the head of Tesla and SpaceX has business interests in China and with the Pentagon.
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