US President Donald Trump acknowledged his ally Elon Musk's potential conflicts of interest for the first time on Friday (Mar 21) and said that the DOGE chief should not be allowed to see top-secret plans for any war with China.
The rare admission comes after weeks of Trump dismissing the wealthy businessman's conflict of interests in leading the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/these-are-terrorists-trump-defends-musk-says-tesla-attacks-worse-than-jan-6-capitol-riot-8878054">'These are terrorists': Trump defends Musk, says Tesla attacks worse than Jan. 6 Capitol riot</a>
<h2>What did Trump say about Musk?</h2>
When asked to comment on media reports that Musk, the world's richest man, would receive a classified Pentagon briefing on US war strategy, Trump said, "I don't want to show it to anybody."
"You're talking about a potential war with China," he noted, adding, "Certainly you wouldn&rsquo;t show it to a businessman who is helping us so much".
"Elon has businesses in China and he would be susceptible perhaps to that," admitted Trump.
Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-war-or-doge-cuts-inside-elon-musks-controversial-pentagon-visit-that-trump-hegseth-rushed-to-defend-8877941">China war or DOGE cuts? Inside Musk&rsquo;s controversial Pentagon visit that Trump, Hegseth rushed to defend</a>
Tesla, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has major business interests in China. However, he also has huge defence contracts in the US. This has raised concerns about his influence and the potential conflict of interest.
Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/could-get-jailed-in-el-salvador-prisons-trump-threatens-terrorists-harming-musk-tesla-with-20-year-jail-term-8877058">&lsquo;Could get jailed in El Salvador prisons&rsquo;: Trump threatens &lsquo;terrorists&rsquo; harming Musk, Tesla with 20-year&nbsp;jail</a>
However, the US President then jumped to Musk's defence. Describing Musk as a "patriot" Trump then hailed the DOGE chief's efforts to slash back the US federal government, including the US Defense Department. Trump made this statement while unveiling a contract for Boeing to build the next-generation F-47 fighter jet.
This comes after Musk, on Friday visited the Pentagon, and reports, first published in the New York Times, speculated about the visit. Reports suggested that Musk was to receive a briefing in a secure room dubbed "The Tank" on maritime tactics and targeting plans.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Trending | World | Discover US President Donald Trump's rare admission about Elon Musk's potential conflicts of interest regarding US-China war plans.

US President Donald Trump acknowledged his ally Elon Musk's potential conflicts of interest for the first time on Friday (Mar 21) and said that the DOGE chief should not be allowed to see top-secret plans for any war with China. The rare admission comes after weeks of Trump dismissing the wealthy businessman's conflict of interests in leading the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Also read | 'These are terrorists': Trump defends Musk, says Tesla attacks worse than Jan. 6 Capitol riot What did Trump say about Musk? When asked to comment on media reports that Musk, the world's richest man, would receive a classified Pentagon briefing on US war strategy, Trump said, "I don't want to show it to anybody." "You're talking about a potential war with China," he noted, adding, "Certainly you wouldn’t show it to a businessman who is helping us so much". "Elon has businesses in China and he would be susceptible perhaps to that," admitted Trump. Also read | China war or DOGE cuts? Inside Musk’s controversial Pentagon visit that Trump, Hegseth rushed to defend Tesla, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has major business interests in China. However, he also has huge defence contracts in the US. This has raised concerns about his influence and the potential conflict of interest. Also read | ‘Could get jailed in El Salvador prisons’: Trump threatens ‘terrorists’ harming Musk, Tesla with 20-year jail However, the US President then jumped to Musk's defence. Describing Musk as a "patriot" Trump then hailed the DOGE chief's efforts to slash back the US federal government, including the US Defense Department. Trump made this statement while unveiling a contract for Boeing to build the next-generation F-47 fighter jet. This comes after Musk, on Friday visited the Pentagon, and reports, first published in the New York Times, speculated about the visit. Reports suggested that Musk was to receive a briefing in a secure room dubbed "The Tank" on maritime tactics and targeting plans. (With inputs from agencies)

Trump makes rare admission on Musk’s conflicts of interest, says 'wouldn’t show' businessman China war plans

Elon Musk's highly anticipated interview with former President Donald Trump commenced with the conversation by asking Trump about the assassination attempt at his Pennsylvania rally last month.

"I didn't know I had that much blood," Trump remarked about the shooting, adding that it was the "best alternative you could think of," considering he wasn't more seriously injured.

“I’m a believer, now. I’m more of a believer in God, I think,” Trump said.

Trump further claimed that he was targeted because of his stance on immigration.

The former president said that he&nbsp;would surely go back to Butler, Pennsylvania in October, where he survived an assassination attempt on July 13.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/musks-interview-with-trump-on-x-hit-by-massive-cyberattack-749606">Trump's interview with Musk on X hit by 'massive' cyberattack</a>

Musk seemed to suggest in a lighthearted manner that the charts, which caused Trump to adjust his position just moments before the gunshots were fired, had actually saved his life.

“I just want to say that I think a lot of people admire your courage under fire there,” Musk said.

Jokingly replying back, Trump said, "Illegal immigration saved my life," nodding to the topic and a chart he was talking about when shots began to fly.

It may be mentioned here, that Trump claims, "You have millions of people coming in a month. And they have another 5 months."

Whereas, factually, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported 7.1 million arrests for illegal crossings from Mexico between January 2021 and June 2024.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/what-is-ddos-attack-that-halted-elon-musks-interview-with-donald-trump-on-x-749609">What is DDoS attack that halted Elon Musk's interview with Donald Trump on X?</a>

However, these figures only represent arrests, not individual people. Due to pandemic-era asylum restrictions, many individuals made multiple attempts to cross the border without facing legal consequences, meaning the actual number of people is lower than the total number of arrests.

<h2>Trump's comments on Joe Biden's withdrawal</h2>

Donald Trump, further went on to&nbsp;claim that Joe Biden was forced to drop out of the US Presidential race due to a "coup".

"I beat Biden so bad in the debate, he was forced out of the race - one of the greatest debate performances ever. Biden's exit, it was a coup," the former president claimed.

<h2>Musk and Trump interview captures widespread attention</h2>

The talk between Musk and Trump has drawn a deterrent response from Europe. Thierry Breton, a French business executive and the European Union's commissioner for the internal market expressed distress over the possible “strengthening of harmful content” that could arise from broadcasting the interview.&nbsp;

In a letter posted on X, Breton urged Musk to ensure the platform sticks to EU regulations, mainly the Digital Services Act, enacted in 2022 to combat disinformation.

Responding to Breton’s warning, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung criticised the EU, suggesting they should "mind their own business" rather than interfering in the US presidential election.&nbsp;

Musk endorsed Trump’s candidacy just a few days after the former president survived an assassination attempt at a rally.

<h2>Trump- Musk chat on X hit by 'massive' cyberattack</h2>

Elon Musk's highly anticipated interview with former President Donald Trump commenced after a 40-minute delay caused by technical issues on X's Spaces platform.&nbsp;

Eighteen minutes into the interview, which was scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. EDT, according to Musk, the interview, which was more of an informal talk with the Republican presidential candidate, was halted due to a "Distributed Denial-of-Service" (DDOS) attack.&nbsp;

"There appears to be a massive DDOS attack on X. Working on shutting it down," Musk wrote on the platform.&nbsp;

Notably, X faced similar issues when Musk interviewed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on the social media platform in May 2023, which Musk blamed on X’s servers being overwhelmed by the traffic.

Despite the glitches, the Trump-Musk interview was able to attract over a million listeners from across the world.&nbsp;

Trump started by congratulating Musk, ‘You broke records, you silence voices.’, he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

Elon Musk's highly anticipated interview with former President Donald Trump commenced with the conversation by asking Trump about the assassination attempt at his Pennsylvania rally last month.

Elon Musk's highly anticipated interview with former President Donald Trump commenced with the conversation by asking Trump about the assassination attempt at his Pennsylvania rally last month. "I didn't know I had that much blood," Trump remarked about the shooting, adding that it was the "best alternative you could think of," considering he wasn't more seriously injured. “I’m a believer, now. I’m more of a believer in God, I think,” Trump said. Trump further claimed that he was targeted because of his stance on immigration. The former president said that he would surely go back to Butler, Pennsylvania in October, where he survived an assassination attempt on July 13. Also read: Trump's interview with Musk on X hit by 'massive' cyberattack Musk seemed to suggest in a lighthearted manner that the charts, which caused Trump to adjust his position just moments before the gunshots were fired, had actually saved his life. “I just want to say that I think a lot of people admire your courage under fire there,” Musk said. Jokingly replying back, Trump said, "Illegal immigration saved my life," nodding to the topic and a chart he was talking about when shots began to fly. It may be mentioned here, that Trump claims, "You have millions of people coming in a month. And they have another 5 months." Whereas, factually, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported 7.1 million arrests for illegal crossings from Mexico between January 2021 and June 2024. Also read: What is DDoS attack that halted Elon Musk's interview with Donald Trump on X? However, these figures only represent arrests, not individual people. Due to pandemic-era asylum restrictions, many individuals made multiple attempts to cross the border without facing legal consequences, meaning the actual number of people is lower than the total number of arrests. Trump's comments on Joe Biden's withdrawal Donald Trump, further went on to claim that Joe Biden was forced to drop out of the US Presidential race due to a "coup". "I beat Biden so bad in the debate, he was forced out of the race - one of the greatest debate performances ever. Biden's exit, it was a coup," the former president claimed. Musk and Trump interview captures widespread attention The talk between Musk and Trump has drawn a deterrent response from Europe. Thierry Breton, a French business executive and the European Union's commissioner for the internal market expressed distress over the possible “strengthening of harmful content” that could arise from broadcasting the interview. In a letter posted on X, Breton urged Musk to ensure the platform sticks to EU regulations, mainly the Digital Services Act, enacted in 2022 to combat disinformation. Responding to Breton’s warning, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung criticised the EU, suggesting they should "mind their own business" rather than interfering in the US presidential election. Musk endorsed Trump’s candidacy just a few days after the former president survived an assassination attempt at a rally. Trump- Musk chat on X hit by 'massive' cyberattack Elon Musk's highly anticipated interview with former President Donald Trump commenced after a 40-minute delay caused by technical issues on X's Spaces platform. Eighteen minutes into the interview, which was scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. EDT, according to Musk, the interview, which was more of an informal talk with the Republican presidential candidate, was halted due to a "Distributed Denial-of-Service" (DDOS) attack. "There appears to be a massive DDOS attack on X. Working on shutting it down," Musk wrote on the platform. Notably, X faced similar issues when Musk interviewed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on the social media platform in May 2023, which Musk blamed on X’s servers being overwhelmed by the traffic. Despite the glitches, the Trump-Musk interview was able to attract over a million listeners from across the world. Trump started by congratulating Musk, ‘You broke records, you silence voices.’, he said. (With inputs from agencies)

Musk-Trump interview: Trump claims, ‘Illegal immigration saved my life’

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Trump makes rare admission on Musk’s conflicts of interest, says 'wouldn’t show' businessman China war plans

Musk-Trump interview: Trump claims, ‘Illegal immigration saved my life’