“‘Elon Musk Is a National Security Risk’: Retired Army General Drops Bombshell in Explosive New York Times Op-Ed!”
Retired Lt. General Russel L. Honoré is raising serious concerns about the security risks Elon Musk could bring in his new role as a close advisor to President-elect Donald Trump. Honoré, who is well-respected for his military service, shared his concerns in an opinion piece in the New York Times. He explained why he believes Musk, the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the head of companies with many U.S. government contracts, might have ties to China. This is because Musk took large loans from the Chinese government in the past.
In his article, Honoré points out comments from Vivek Ramaswamy, who was Musk’s deputy at DOGE. In May 2023, Ramaswamy said in an interview that Musk might be easily influenced by China’s leader, Xi Jinping. He even went as far as saying that Musk might “jump like a circus monkey” when China calls for help. Ramaswamy also criticized Musk in another post, saying that the U.S. needs leaders who are not controlled by China.
Although Ramaswamy later took back his harsh words about Musk, Honoré believes that Ramaswamy’s concerns were valid. News reports show that Musk and his rocket company, SpaceX, are under federal investigation. U.S. government agencies, like the Air Force and the Department of Defense, are looking into whether Musk followed national security rules. The investigation focuses on Musk’s meetings with foreign leaders, and whether he failed to disclose important details that could be a violation of security rules.
Honoré is worried that this is just the beginning. He argues that Musk’s business ventures are heavily dependent on China. For example, Musk borrowed over $1.4 billion from banks controlled by the Chinese government to help build Tesla’s gigafactory in Shanghai. This factory is a key part of Tesla’s global operations, producing more than half of Tesla’s cars that were delivered worldwide in the third quarter of 2024. Honoré points out that Chinese laws require any company doing business in China to share information with the Chinese government. This could put U.S. security at risk, as the Chinese government could use that information for its own advantage.
Honoré goes on to explain that Musk’s influence goes beyond just his business dealings in China. As one of the richest people in the world, Musk has close relationships with global leaders from countries like China and Russia. This gives him a lot of power, especially as an advisor to Trump. Honoré argues that Musk is given such influence without any proper oversight or background checks, which is a dangerous situation. Musk is not a government official, and he has never been elected by the American people to hold any political power.
Finally, Honoré concludes by saying that Musk’s large financial contribution to Trump’s re-election campaign—about $250 million—does not give Trump’s administration the right to ignore the possible national security risks Musk could cause. He urges Trump and his team to take this issue seriously and address it without delay. Honoré stresses that there is too much at stake, and it’s important to pay attention to the potential dangers right in front of them.
