[Global Network Report] US President Trump and American entrepreneur and former head of the Department of Government Efficiency Musk have recently become enemies. When the conflict between the two sides is open and quickly escalated into a "drought war", the US Atlantic Monthly and the Beast Daily broke the news on the 5th that US Secretary of Defense Hegseyth had invited Musk to attend the Pentagon briefing, which aroused Trump's furious. Hegsey's originally smooth career took a turning point. The Atlantic Monthly said that this incident also became a precursor to the breakdown of the relationship between Trump and Musk.
Trump Data Picture Source: US media
The New York Times published an article in March this year saying that Hegseyth will brief Musk on a plan related to China's potential war. Trump denied the relevant reports in public at the time, denying them as "fake news" and saying that the briefing had never planned to discuss China. The Atlantic Monthly revealed about the incident that Trump had privately been dissatisfied with Hegseyth's invitation to Musk to the meeting.
Musk (center) and Hegseyth (right) in the Pentagon in March. Source: US media
The Atlantic Monthly said that Trump was not happy to learn about the incident the night before the planned briefing. People familiar with the matter said that Trump told others that his concerns were related to Musk's business interests. In addition, the security conference room where senior officials briefed Musk was originally a place where senior military officials gathered to welcome the visit of the commander-in-chief of the US Army, "this has intensified people's perception that Musk has over-controlled government power," the report said.
The Atlantic Monthly continued to disclose that people familiar with the matter also said that Trump had spoken with Hegseyth several hours after the New York Times report was released, saying that the briefing would give the U.S. government a "bad impression." The next day, when Hegseyth went to the White House to introduce the latest fighter jets of the US Air Force, Trump once again talked about the briefing and said, "This is too crazy and too stupid, why do we do this?" The Atlantic Monthly said that Trump left most of his anger to Musk, which is also a precursor to the public breakdown of their relationship on social media recently. As for Hegseth, several anonymous people familiar with his post said that Musk's attendance at the briefing and Trump's private reaction to the matter meant that the inviting Musk to the Pentagon briefing became a turning point in Hegseth's appointment.
A person familiar with the operation of Hegseyth's office revealed that "before this, the Department of Defense has always been a treasure."
The White House, the Department of Defense and Musk himself have not yet seen responses to the above revelations.
From the July 2024 Musk's public support for Trump to the breakdown of relations, less than a year ago, the two of them went to "completely reverse" because of a bill named "big and beautiful". However, the latest report from the US "Political News Network" on the 5th stated that Trump and White House aides suggested that they might ease their relationship with Musk, and "signs of a truce are emerging." The report mentioned that White House aides have arranged to call Musk on Friday to facilitate a reconciliation after trying to persuade Trump to ease public criticism of Musk to avoid escalation. According to a White House person familiar with the matter who asked not to be named, White House aides suggested Trump focus on the bill rather than clash with Musk.
