Elon Musk meets with Pentagon to discuss China threat and federal cuts

Musk's increasing entanglement with the administration has raised eyebrows considering his dual role as a corporate leader with Defense Department contracts and deep commercial interests in China.

Elon Musk visited the Pentagon on Friday for a top-level meeting dealing with national security and reform of the US government, including the increasing threat of China and the influential role of Musk in cutting federal bureaucracy through the US DOGE Service, sources familiar with the situation stated, the Washington Post reported.

The session was called by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who invited Musk for an about hour-long unclassified briefing. A US official told that the topics would be China and the reforms led by DOGE. Hegseth and President Donald Trump later denied the discussion of China, but a source stated that the country was the focal point of the session.

CNN recorded Musk departing from the Pentagon, saying to Hegseth, "If there's anything I can do to be helpful, I'd just really like us to have a good outcome here."

The New York Times first reported that Musk would be given a "top-secret" briefing, including possible war plans against China. That was denied by both Hegseth and Trump. Trump wrote on Truth Social that "China will not even be mentioned or discussed," while Hegseth said the meeting was about "innovation, efficiencies & smarter production."

Musk's increasing entanglement with the administration has raised eyebrows considering his dual role as a corporate leader with Defense Department contracts and deep commercial interests in China. As SpaceX CEO, Musk already receives sensitive national security information through multibillion-dollar defence contracts.

Critics say Musk's closeness to sensitive information could create genuine conflicts of interest, especially now that he aims to increase Tesla's share of the Chinese market. Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, denounced the meeting, adding, "Trump's gone from hiding national security secrets in a Mar-a-Lago bathroom to selling them to his biggest donor."

Musk's DOGE changes have provoked a stunning federal workforce reduction, even in the US Defense Department. Authorities revealed that some 21,000 staff have been certified for deferred resignation, and the Pentagon is looking for an 8% nonmilitary-staff reduction, which would equate to some 60,000 positions.

Although some Pentagon priorities have been exempted from these reductions, such as Indo-Pacific Command, which is dedicated to pushing back against China, the overall cuts are part of Trump and Musk's agenda of reducing federal agencies and simplifying operations.

Musk's trip to the Pentagon highlights his increasing influence in defence policy and administrative reform, amidst continued concerns regarding transparency, ethics, and the mixing of private business interests with national security strategy.