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Leave it to Elon Musk to turn a simple family scuffle into headline fodder. The billionaire tech titan showed up for his Oval Office farewell with US President Donald Trump on Friday sporting a distinctly black-eye, and the speculation ran wild. Was it political intrigue? A secret duel? Nope. According to Musk himself, it was his son, young X, who landed the knockout punch.
“I was just horsing around with lil’ X, and I said, ‘Go ahead, punch me in the face,’” Musk told reporters, with all the gravitas of a man who clearly underestimated a five-year-old’s uppercut. “And he did. Turns out even a five-year-old punching you in the face actually is…” He trailed off... “I didn’t really feel much at the time but I guess it bruises up.”
This father-son moment stole some spotlight from Musk’s farewell event at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he’s been moonlighting as a cost-cutting crusader, a role he’s apparently ready to ditch. Despite his exit, Musk promised to stay a “friend and advisor,” which, knowing him, might mean something between a casual text and a Tesla autopilot update.
Trump, ever the statesman, claimed he “didn’t notice” the purple eye but did acknowledge, “X could do it, if you knew X.” Indeed, Musk’s son X Æ A-Xii, the kid who made more Oval appearances than most interns, was once spotted perched on his dad’s shoulders during the initial DOGE rollout, even getting cozy by Trump’s Resolute Desk. Presidential nose-picking, anyone?
Adding a dash of international flair, Musk took a jab at French President Emmanuel Macron amid rumors of a scuffle involving Macron’s wife. Asked about the video showing Madame Macron shoving her husband’s face, Musk quipped, “I’ve got a little shiner here,” flashing his bruised eye. “I wasn’t anywhere near France,” he added with a grin.
All in all, Musk’s farewell was equal parts politics, parenting and punchlines, a fitting exit for the man who’s never shy of a headline.
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