Trump forced to respond after Elon Musk had 'unusual' meeting with defence officials at the Pentagon

US President Donald Trump has been forced to address speculation after Elon Musk met with defence officials at the Pentagon.

The 78-year-old Republican, whose presidential campaign was bankrolled by Musk, has hit out at claims made by the New York Times that the Tesla CEO was scheduled to receive a Pentagon briefing on Friday (21 March) about the US military's top-secret plans for how to handle aggression from China.

The outlet reported that Musk, the unelected, non-Senate-confirmed head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), would be briefed about the nation's top-secret military operation, including its plans for any potential war with China.

Trump denied such reports, claiming: "China will not even be mentioned or discussed."

"The Fake News is at it again, this time the Failing New York Times. They said, incorrectly, that Elon Musk is going to the Pentagon tomorrow to be briefed on any potential 'war with China'," he wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

"How ridiculous? China will not even be mentioned or discussed. How disgraceful it is that the discredited media can make up such lies. Anyway, the story is completely untrue!!!"

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has likewise denied the claims made in the New York Times report, writing on Twitter: "We look forward to welcoming @elonmusk to the Pentagon tomorrow.

Donald Trump has responded to claims about Elon Musk's Pentagon appearance (ROBERTO SCHMIDT / Contributor / Getty Images)

"But the fake news delivers again - this is NOT a meeting about 'top secret China war plans'. It’s an informal meeting about innovation, efficiencies & smarter production. Gonna be great!"

Musk's visit to the Pentagon has drawn some scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest given that two of his companies - Starlink and SpaceX - has contracts with the defence department.

His Tesla company also has two facilities in Shanghai, China.

Musk is not in the military chain of command nor is he a military adviser to Trump.

Earlier this month (10 March), DOGE was ordered by federal judge Christopher Cooper to make public records concerning its operations.

Cooper sided with the government watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), in finding that DOGE was likely an agency subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

The FOIA, introduced back 1966 before taking effect the following year in 1967, gives the public the right to access records from federal agencies, with some exceptions.

It was created to ensure the government is open and accountable.

The Trump administration, however, argued that DOGE was not subject to FOIA.