New chaos around Musk after leak – Trump's outburst

  

Elon Musk
Musk and Trump furious after leak from Pentagon

Hans Österman

Updated 00.34 | Published 00.32

Both Elon Musk and Donald Trump were in trouble when the New York Times revealed that Musk would receive secret information about the US's planning for a potential war with China. Photo: AP

The New York Times wrote that Elon Musk would receive top-secret information from the Pentagon.

Then it all went to hell.

Musk is now threatening to hunt down the newspaper's sources and Trump is launching a personal attack on one of the reporters.

Everyone agrees that Elon Musk was received at the Pentagon on Friday. The argument is about what he did there.

The New York Times revealed late on Thursday that the visit was scheduled. Citing two anonymous government sources, the newspaper also wrote that Musk would receive top-secret information about the US's planning for a potential war with China. Another source stated that the visit would be about China, but without giving any other details.

Trump: “How ridiculous?”

Just hours later, the denial machine kicked into action. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote:

"Fake news is at it again, this time it's

They said, incorrectly, that Elon Musk is going to the Pentagon tomorrow to be briefed on a potential war with China. How ridiculous? China will not even be mentioned or discussed.”

At lunch on Friday, a furious Trump continued his attack on the newspaper.

"Failing New York Times, one of the worst and most deliberately inaccurate newspapers in the world. Their FAKE concept for this story is that since Elon does some business in China and can't choose sides, he should immediately go to top Chinese officials and gossip," he wrote.

NY TIMES reporter Maggie Haberman. Photo: Mark Von Holden/AP

Renamed reporter "The Mask"

Trump also attacked CNN for re-reporting the information and then went on to specifically attack Maggie Haberman, one of several NY Times reporters featured

in the article.

“

Haberman, a very stupid fraud who constantly writes about me for the Times, uses anonymous, made-up (non-existent!) sources and who I haven’t spoken to in ages, is a big part of the hoax.”

On X, Elon Musk posted a screenshot of Trump's first post and wrote that he intends to hunt down the newspaper's whistleblower:

"The New York Times is pure propaganda. In addition, I look forward to the prosecution of those at the Pentagon who maliciously leak false information to the NYT. They will be found."

"Very well equipped"

Interviewed by reporters at the White House later on Friday, Trump once again denied that Elon Musk had been told anything about scenarios for a war with China. He also denied that there were any such plans before the visit.

- We do not want a potential war with China, but I can tell you that if we had one, we would be very well equipped to handle it. But I don't want to show

to anyone and certainly would not show it to a businessman who helps us so much.

Elon Musk's companies Space X and Starlink have heavy defense contracts with the United States. At the same time, Tesla has two factories in China that are responsible for a large part of the company's electric car production.

NY Times: Canceled after leak

In a new articel on Friday, the New York Times wrote that the planned China war game was supposed to take place in a security-classified conference room called "The Tank," but that the plans were canceled when the information leaked. The newspaper also named two top military officials who, along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, were supposed to give the presentation.

Elon Musk's visit instead took place in the Defense Secretary's office, and only one of the two top military officials was present, according to the NY Times.

After he finished, Musk gave a brief comment to reporters outside the Pentagon.

"It's always a good meeting. I've been here before, you know," he said, according to the BBC.