In today’s RTAA briefing, Donald Trump’s former transportation chief Elaine Chao tripled down on that assertion. He disclosed that Elon Musk would not have access to any plans related to a possible war with China. According to Trump, this decision arises from Musk’s substantial business interests in China, which the former president argues creates a conflict of interest. The remarks came during a National Security Council official backgrounder with Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on the line.
During the same briefing, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth revealed that Elon Musk had visited the Pentagon earlier that day. Musk’s original visit was to help make efficiencies and innovations happen inside the Department of Defense’s bureaucracy. Unfortunately, he did not touch any ground about the growing threat of a potential war with China. Hegseth specifically stressed that Musk’s talks at the Pentagon were not about any potential warfighting scenarios with China.
Journalists at the closed briefing set the ball rolling for Trump’s declaration with a question, although the exact wording of that query has yet to be revealed. Nevertheless, Trump's response highlighted concerns over Musk's business ventures in China, which have not been detailed in this context. The concern being that these interests might somehow be a danger in situations where national security is at stake.
The United States has one Pentagon that’s charged with defending the United States itself. It often does this in partnership with industry pioneers such as Musk to push the envelope and innovate efficiencies. Yet given the sensitive nature of defense strategies, care must be taken to avoid any real or perceived conflicts of interest. In this case, Trump’s choice serves as a potent reminder of why we must protect sensitive national security details.