President Donald Trump said Friday that Elon Musk should not be allowed to see top secret US plans for any war with China, in a rare admission that his billionaire ally's business links raised potential conflicts of interest.

Trump strongly denied media reports that the world's richest man, who is now leading the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), would receive a classified Pentagon briefing on its war strategy.

Tesla and Space X boss Musk has major business interests in China but also has huge US defense contracts, while his status as an unelected advisor to Trump has raised concerns about his influence.

"I don’t want to show it to anybody. You’re talking about a potential war with China," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
"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."