Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk raised eyebrows and speculation when he showed up to his going-away press conference with US President Donald Trump on Friday with a prominent black eye. The South African-born tech magnate attributed the bruising with a humorous anecdote: his toddler son, X Æ A-Xii, had punched him when they were playing.
“I was horsing around with little X, and I said, ‘Go ahead, punch me in the face,'” Musk said when asked about the bruise. “And he did. As it turns out even a five-year-old punching you in the face actually is…” Musk stopped short before continuing, “I really didn’t feel much at the time, but I guess it bruises up.”
Trump, who welcomed the event commemorating Musk’s final day as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), stated he hadn’t seen the bruise but joked about Musk’s son and said, “X could do it, if you knew X.”
Young X, who often joined Musk on his contentious stint at Doge, was frequently spotted in the White House, such as sitting on Musk’s shoulders during his inaugural Oval Office visit in February and even digging his nose inches from Trump’s “Resolute” Desk.
Musk also took the opportunity to joke about the incident in relation to a viral video involving French President Emmanuel Macron. When asked about the video showing Macron’s wife seemingly pushing the French leader’s face, Musk chuckled, saying, “I’ve got a little shiner here.” He added humorously when asked about the cause of his injury, “I wasn’t anywhere near France.”
In spite of Musk’s tongue-in-cheek explanation, his resignation followed swirling reports by The New York Times of intense drug use while on his 2024 campaign trail activities. Musk, who was showing increasing discontent with his government position, stated he would still be a “friend and adviser” to Trump.
