It seems President Donald Trump didn’t hold back his language when he reportedly unleashed a tirade to prevent Elon Musk from attending a classified cabinet meeting.
While things had been amicable between the President and his so-called “First Buddy,” just over 100 days into Trump’s second term, their friendly dynamic appears to be unraveling.
Elon Musk’s role in U.S. politics has raised eyebrows. Although not an elected official, his status as a “special government employee” has granted him regular access to the White House.
Speculation has long surrounded how long it would take for Trump and Musk to clash, and with Musk making waves over recent trade tariffs, signs of tension began to emerge.
Now, their relationship might have reached a breaking point.
Axios reports that Musk attempted to attend a top-secret meeting about China. According to an insider, Trump reacted strongly, allegedly saying: “What the f**k is Elon doing there? Make sure he doesn’t go.”
This outburst reportedly followed speculation that Musk was to be briefed on a confidential U.S. strategy regarding China, dating back to an incident in March.
In related developments, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has suspended senior Pentagon figures Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick amid an investigation into who may have leaked the meeting details to Musk.
Ultimately, the meeting was scrapped, not just postponed, but completely called off by Trump. Despite Musk’s significant interests in China through Tesla and other ventures, Trump was said to be concerned about potential conflicts of interest.
One official told Axios, “The President still likes Elon, but there are boundaries. Elon’s business ties to China made that briefing inappropriate.”
In response to the controversy, Trump took to Truth Social, dismissing claims about Musk’s potential attendance as “fake news” from the “failing” New York Times. He wrote, “They wrongly reported that Elon Musk would be at the Pentagon for a China briefing. Totally false! China won’t even be discussed. It’s disgraceful how the media lies.”
Still, there may have been more going on behind the scenes.
Though Musk did meet with Hegseth at the Pentagon on March 21, China was reportedly not part of their discussion. That same day, Trump told reporters, “I wouldn’t want Elon involved—he has business ties in China and could be compromised. But the story was fake.”
Musk, equally upset, posted on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “I await the prosecution of those at the Pentagon who leaked false information to the NYT. They’ll be exposed.”
As for Trump’s language, this wouldn’t be the first time he’s made headlines for using strong language, earning him the reputation of the “cur.sing President.”
