President Donald Trump reportedly suspended a classified Pentagon briefing on China planned for Elon Musk last month after concerns over internal leaks and potential conflicts of interest, a senior official told Axios.
The classification session set to include a high level of intelligence on Beijing’s military strategy was suddenly cancelled following direct intervention from the outlet, Trump himself It has been reported Tuesday. The decision followed Pentagon officials. leak News of the New York Times briefing and the intertwining of masks with the vast intertwining of foreign businesses, particularly with China, has led to frustration within the White House. (Report: Musk reduces Doge Savings forecasts by 85%)
“What is Elon doing there? Please make sure he doesn’t go,” Trump said, officials told Axios.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegses has stopped two Pentagon officials, Dan Caldwell and Darrin Selnick, as part of an investigation into who leaked the briefing plan. The Department of Defense confirmed Caldwell’s firing during Politico in a statement to the Daily Call News Foundation It has been reported Selnick will be on Tuesday.
Neither the White House nor the Pentagon responded to DCNF requests for comment.
Axios confirmed that canceling the briefing was not a bureaucratic decision. Trump personally intervened, and later told reporters he understood the potential conflict of interest in light of Tesla’s major presence in China.
“I certainly don’t want it. Elon has a company in China, and perhaps he’ll be susceptible to it,” Trump told reporters at the Decisive Desk on March 21.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2_apgs17oq
“Potus still loves Elon very much, but there are some red lines,” an official told Axios. “Elon has a lot of business in China and there’s a good relationship there. This briefing wasn’t the right thing to do.”
Despite the president’s acknowledgement of mask’s potential competitive interests, he argued that the “failed New York Times” work was “not entirely true,” and in a briefing on the Truth Social Post, “China is not mentioned or discussed.”
Musk repeatedly denies Trump’s Times story, calling the outlet “pure propaganda” on X-Post. He also said he was “watching.”[s] “We will forward the prosecution of the Pentagon people who are leaking malicious and false information to the NYT.”
“They’ll be found,” Musk said.
The New York Times is pure propaganda.
We also look forward to prosecuting the Pentagon people who have leaked malicious and false information to the NYT.
They will be found. pic.twitter.com/xanvlmoh5j
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 21, 2025
Musk was almost a day’s fixture as he heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the entity responsible for overhauling and decimering the federal bureaucracy throughout Trump’s second term. The administration publicly supports Musk, but tensions appear to be closing and rising, and as the wealthiest man in the unconventional style of history, as the wealthiest man, Tesla’s Shanghai factory and SpaceX relies on rare earth materials, some open doors rely on trade sailors towards trade sailors. (Related: “Really Fool”: Elon Musk places major Trump officials in the blast after chasing Tesla)
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