‘The bromance is glitching’: Elon Musk learns the hard way that Trump’s loyalty lasts about 5 seconds

Musk’s Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai is the company’s crown jewel, churning out nearly half of all Teslas produced globally. Not to mention his cozy ties with Beijing, which have been a topic of quiet concern within U.S. political circles for years. So, when news leaked that Musk was set to be briefed on the U.S. military’s plans for hypothetical conflict with China, Trump flipped.

The irony of Trump suddenly growing a conscience about conflicts of interest is almost too much to bear. This is the same man who refused to divest from his own businesses while in office, hosted foreign dignitaries at his resorts, and charged the Secret Service for staying at his properties. But sure, Elon’s ties to China are where he draws the line. You can’t make this stuff up.

After the Musk fiasco, two top Pentagon officials were suspended for allegedly leaking details about the meeting to Musk. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who seems to be doing his best impression of a high school principal dealing with a food fight, launched an investigation into the leaks. Meanwhile, Trump went on a tirade against the media for reporting on the incident, calling it “fake news” and insisting that China was never part of the agenda. (Fun fact: when Trump says “fake news,” it’s usually because the story is uncomfortably close to the truth.) Musk, for his part, didn’t exactly handle the situation with grace. When asked about the meeting, he reportedly told a reporter, “Why should I tell you?”

Then he hopped on X (formerly Twitter) to threaten that those responsible for the leaks would face prosecution. Should someone like Musk, whose business empire relies so heavily on China, have access to classified briefings about potential conflicts with Beijing? Probably not. But it’s also worth asking why Trump was so eager to involve Musk in government matters in the first place—until it became inconvenient, of course. If Musk’s ties to China were such a red flag, why let him get this close to the White House in the first place? Oh, right—because Trump loves surrounding himself with billionaires and basking in their reflected glory.