President Donald Trump and his senior administration members are strongly denying reports that DOGE adviser Elon Musk will be briefed during his visit to the Pentagon on Friday about a plan for a potential war with China.
"The Fake News is the ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE…And Elon is NOT BEING BRIEFED ON ANYTHING CHINA BY THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR!!!" Trump posted on Truth Social Friday morning. It was his second post on the subject in less that eight hours.
"The Fake News is at it again, this time the Failing New York Times," Trump said in his earlier post Thursday night. "They said, incorrectly, that Elon Musk is going to the Pentagon tomorrow to be briefed on any potential 'war with China.' How ridiculous? China will not even be mentioned or discussed. How disgraceful it is that the discredited media can make up such lies. Anyway, the story is completely untrue!!!"
The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that a war plan for China would be one of several topics that would be discussed during Musk's Pentagon visit.
The Wall Street Journal said the meeting could give Musk, as the owner of Tesla and SpaceX "access to sensitive military secrets unavailable to business competitors."
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that Musk would be briefed on a plan "for any war that might break out with China."
Trump's Friday morning post focused on Times reporter Maggie Haberman, who has specialized in covering him over the years.
"Maggot Hagerman, the really dumb 'scammer' who constantly writes about me for the Times, using anonymous, made up (nonexistent!) sources, and who I haven't spoken to in ages, is a big part of the Scam. She lead the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, only to realize that she was duped and got it wrong. She owes me a totally discredited Pulitzer Prize for her bad reporting," he wrote
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on X that the reports were "brazenly & maliciously wrong."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also on Thursday night denied the reports that Musk's visit would be "a meeting about 'top secret China war plans.'"
He added that he's looking forward to Musk's "informal meeting" where "innovation, efficiencies & smarter production" would be discussed.
Musk, while replying to Hegseth, said Friday's meeting is not his first visit to the Pentagon.
"I've been to the Pentagon many times over many years," he said. "Not my first time in the building."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.