The White Hosue has angrily denied that Elon Musk will be briefed by the Pentagon today about plans by the US for a war with China. A New York Times report said that Musk would visit the Pentagaon on Friday to attend a "top secret" briefing that would include about 20 to 30 slides detailing how the US would deal with such a conflict with China.

However, President Trump responded to these claims in a post on Truth Social, calling it "untrue" and "ridiculous". He claimed that "China will not even be mentioned or discussed". Trump confirmed that Musk would visit the Pentagon but said that no top-secret military plans will be discussed.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth backed Trump's response in a post on X, saying that it was "fake news" that Musk was to be briefed on military plans for a potential war with China. Rather, he said, the meeting would focus on "innovation, efficiencies, and smarter production".

A US official annonymously told The New York Times that Musk would attend a briefing which would include an overview of a number of topics, including China. The New York Times report cited two anonymous sources.

Access to this information would expand Musk's role within the president's administration and raise questions of conflicts of interest in relation to Musk's business interests in China and in the Pentagon.

The New York Times report said that Musk might require access to sensitive military information to ensure that proposed budget cuts don't affect vital weapons systems in the Pentagon's defense plans, namely when it comes to a potential conflict with China.

Elon Musk has played a significant role in the Trump administration since the President's inauguration. The Tesla founder was named by Trump as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an organization with the aim to "streamline government, eliminate waste, and upgrade our critical infrastructure". The establishment of the department has seen a slash of governemt jobs and spending in the US.