- President Donald Trump announced the new F-47 sixth-generation fighter jet, awarding its development to Boeing after five years of secret experimental flights.
- Trump announced the impending release of the Martin Luther King Jr. files, following the recent disclosure of 88,000 pages of unredacted Kennedy files.
- Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth denied reports that Elon Musk visited the Pentagon to discuss potential war with China, stating he was there to address costs related to DOGE.
In the Oval Office Friday morning, President Donald Trump was joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for a press briefing.
The pair announced the release of the U.S. sixth generation fighter jet, discussed plans to release the Martin Luther King Jr. files, condemned attacks on Tesla dealerships and addressed rumors that DOGE head Elon Musk went to the Pentagon Friday morning to be briefed on potential war plans for China.
Trump said the attacks on Tesla dealerships are under investigation by the FBI and the Justice Department. He continued to refer to people targeting the car company as “terrorists.”
The sixth generation fighter jet, the F-47
Trump announced plans to ensure the U.S. “will continue to dominate the skies.”
U.S. generals picked the title “F-47,” for the newest version of the sixth-generation stealth fighter jet, alluding to Trump’s first presidency, in which development for the jets began.
“There’s nothing that’s ever been close to it,” Trump said. “From speed to maneuverability, to what can have to payload — and this has been in the works for a long period of time.”
The current fighter jets in use, the F-35, are stationed at Air Force bases across the world, including at Hill Air Force Base in Davis County, Utah.
Aerospace companies Boeing and Lockheed Martin had been competing for the chance to develop the jet, and Trump announced Friday morning, “The Air Force is going to be awarding the next generation air dominance platform to Boeing. As you know, it was highly competed for.”
Trump added that an “experimental version” of the jet has been flying secretly for five years.
“America’s enemies will never see it coming,” Trump said. “Hopefully we won’t have to use it for that purpose, but you have to have it. If it ever happens, they won’t know what the hell hit them.”
Hegseth added that the fighter jet’s name sends “a very direct message to our allies that we’re not going anywhere and to our enemies that we will be able to project power around the globe, unimpeded for generations to come.”
Preparing to release Martin Luther King Jr. files
When prompted by a reporter, Trump said regarding the recent release of 88,000 pages of unredacted Kennedy files, “I don’t think there’s anything Earth-shattering, but you’re going to have to make that determination.”
The president added that the administration is preparing to release the MLK Jr. files as well. “We’re doing it with Dr. Martin Luther King too,” he said. “They’re preparing all of that. They’re going to release all of it, and whoever else they want. You know, we really have nothing to hide. We shouldn’t have.”
Hegseth and Trump address Elon Musk’s Friday visit to the Pentagon
A reporter asked Trump for clarification on a story published by The New York Times that claimed Elon Musk was scheduled for a briefing with the Pentagon over potential war with China.
Trump denied any war talk having occurred during Musk’s visit to the Pentagon.
“I certainly wouldn’t want, you know, Elon has businesses in China, and he would be perceptible perhaps to that, but it was such a fake story,” Trump said. “The New York Times is just as fake as CNN and MSDNC, and anybody who read that story — people laughed at that story.”
After seeing the story, Trump explained how he called Hegseth and his White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, “and I said, ‘Is there any truth to that?’ And they said, ‘It’s ridiculous. No. He’s over there to talk about costs.‘”
“Elon was over there today to address costs. DOGE. A thing called DOGE, a thing you’ve heard about,” Trump said.
Hegseth chimed in, “That’s exactly right, Mr. President. ... It was meant to undermine whatever relationship the Pentagon has with Elon Musk.”
He continued, “We welcomed him today to the Pentagon to talk about DOGE, to talk about efficiencies, to talk about innovations. The rest of that story was fake. There were no war plans, there was no talk about war plans.”