Trump Concedes Possible Conflicts Amid Musk’s Ambitions

New York, March 22 (NationPress) In a demonstration of US President Donald Trump reining in Elon Musk's overreach, the President has recognized his potential conflict of interest following the cancellation of his rumored briefing on US military strategies regarding China. “Certainly, you wouldn’t show it to a businessman who is helping us so much. Elon has businesses in China, and he could be vulnerable to that,” Trump stated to reporters on Friday after the meeting was called off.

The wealthiest individual globally and a major supporter of Trump, Musk has significant business operations in China, which serves as a vital center for the production of his Tesla vehicles.

Many of his various companies hold contracts with the Defense Department.

Regarding the military plans, Trump remarked, “I don’t want to show it to anybody. You know you’re talking about a potential war with China.”

“We don’t want to have a potential war with China, but I can assure you, if it came to that, we are very well prepared to manage it,” he continued.

According to reports from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, officials indicated that Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency, was slated to receive a classified briefing on the US military's plans for a potential conflict with China.

However, Trump, the White House, and the Pentagon refuted claims that such a meeting had been arranged.

While asserting that such information should not be disclosed to Musk, Trump labeled the reports as “fake.”

The two newspapers reported that Musk was scheduled to meet with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Admiral Christopher Grady, acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Admiral Samuel Paparo, head of the Indo-Pacific Command, in the “Tank”, a secure room at the Pentagon.

However, when Musk arrived at the Pentagon on Friday morning, he only met with Hegseth in his office for over an hour.

The newspapers stated that the meeting's classification was downgraded following the reports.

Musk commented afterward, “It was a great meeting.”

When reporters inquired about the discussion, Hegseth replied, “Why should I tell you?”

But later at the White House, he described the meeting as “fantastic” and praised Musk as “a patriotic American.”

The Defense Department released a statement saying, “Officials indicated that the two men discussed innovation, efficiency, and smarter production.”

However, it added that this meeting was “not related to his efforts with the Department of Government Efficiency but was rather a personal invitation from Hegseth for Musk to visit the department's headquarters.”

One interpretation offered by the newspapers regarding the briefing on Chinese military plans was to ensure Musk's cost-cutting strategies do not compromise the US's capability to confront Beijing by making him aware of its necessities.

Musk's overreach has resulted in clashes with other leaders, necessitating Trump's intervention.

After Musk closed down USAID, the international assistance arm of the State Department, and expressed dissatisfaction that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had not terminated enough employees, a tense exchange occurred at a Cabinet meeting.

Trump hosted both individuals for a private dinner to ease tensions between them.

When Musk demanded that all federal employees email him a summary of their activities from the previous week or face termination, Secretary of State Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and FBI Director Kash Patel instructed their staff to disregard it.

Trump rationalized their reaction, stating, “They don’t mean that in any way combatively with Elon. They’re just saying there are some individuals whose previous work activities you don’t want reported to you.”