President Donald Trump said Friday that war plans should not be shared with his adviser Elon Musk because of his business interests, a rare suggestion that the billionaire entrepreneur's expansive role in the administration will face limits.
Trump made the comments during an Oval Office meeting on developing a new fighter jet, and he rejected reports that Musk would be briefed on how the United States would fight a hypothetical war with China. The meeting that the New York Times and Wall Street Journal both reported would be taking place was allegedly cancelled after those reports came out, something Trump is denying.
"What we do know is the president and the Secretary of Defense vehemently denied it with a lot of gusto, with a lot of intensity in the Oval Office this morning," says CBS' Chief Washington Correspondent Major Garrett. "My experience with President Trump is when he goes out of his way, and over and over again, and revisits something he's denying, there's usually been a kernel of truth in it. And he wants to make sure that that kernel of truth is beaten into submission, which may have been what happened here."
Speaking in the Oval Office, the president was questioned on Musk's access and acknowledged the possible conflict of interest for the billionaire advisor.
“Elon has businesses in China,” the Republican president said. “And he would be susceptible, perhaps, to that.”
President Trump also offered up the comment that even if Musk were given access to information he could benefit from, he wouldn't "accept" it, something Garrett says is not believable and it is starting to create blowback even inside Republican circles.
"Really? Really? That after the fact reassessing things like, 'oh gosh, maybe we shouldn't have even thought of this in the first place,' or 'how did this thing get out of control,' or 'what would we do this for anyway?' The proximity that Elon Musk has and continues to have, and very favored status to the Pentagon and every other aspect of the federal government, despite pushback in some certain circumstances from federal courts about the methodologies of Doge, remains a dominant political and Governmental issue for our country," Garrett told WCCO's Chad Hartman. "And it is beginning to create a small but not insubstantial brushfire of political opposition in rallies or Congressional town halls across the country."
Trump praised Musk as a patriot. However, the reference to his businesses — which include Tesla, an electric vehicle manufacturer trying to expand sales and production in China — is an unusual acknowledgement of concerns about Musk balancing his corporate and government responsibilities.
Trump had previously brushed off questions about Musk's potential conflicts of interest, simply saying that he would steer clear when necessary.
The president said that Musk visited the Pentagon on Friday morning to discuss reducing costs, which he's been working on through the Department of Government Efficiency.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Musk was there "to talk about efficiencies, to talk about innovations.”
Musk said while leaving the Pentagon that he was ready to do “anything that could be helpful," according to a CNN video. He also refused to answer questions as to whether he received a classified briefing on China as part of the visit.
Musk has played an integral role in the Trump administration’s push to dramatically reduce the size of the government. He's faced intense blowback from some lawmakers and voters for his chainsaw-wielding approach to laying off workers and slashing programs, although Trump's supporters have hailed it.
A senior defense official told reporters on Tuesday that roughly 50,000 to 60,000 civilian jobs will be cut in the Defense Department.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.