Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suspended two top Pentagon officials, Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick, as part of an investigation into who leaked word of a planned top-secret briefing on China for Elon Musk.
Axios learned that Musk or Hegseth didn't just decide to call off that briefing after the leak. President Trump himself ordered staffers to kill it.
"What the f**k is Elon doing there? Make sure he doesn't go," Trump said, a top official recalled to Axios.
Why it matters: Musk has annoyed several administration officials with his constant presence at the White House, his haphazard social media posts and his slash-and-burn tactics at his Department of Government Efficiency.
The planned Pentagon briefing, however, got him cross with the boss at the Resolute Desk.
"POTUS still very much loves Elon, but there are some red lines," the official said. "Elon has a lot of business in China and he has good relations there, and this briefing just wasn't the right thing."
Trump also had said he wouldn't allow conflicts of interest with Musk on his watch, although critics doubt his sincerity.
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/16/trump-block-elon-musk-pentagon-briefing-china