The press conference at the White House to announce Elon Musk's departure from his role as a senior advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump drew attention away from his record heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after he appeared with a swollen black eye.
The billionaire said that his 5-year-old son had punched him in the face while the two were playing around. " And I said, 'Go ahead, punch me in the face.' And he did," Musk said.
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Elon Musk and U. S. President Donald Trump at a press conference announcing his departure from the White House
(Photo: Nathan Howard / Reuters)
Trump said he didn't even notice Musk's bruised face. He hailed his benefactor's work saying Musk did a fantastic job and later thanked him on his Truth Social platform
Must said he would continue to advise the president and was certain that DOGE would ultimately save a billion dollars in federal budget spending.
Media platforms were abuzz with rumors about Musk's black eye. The New York Times reported on Friday that the billionaire's drug use increased during Trump's presidential campaign after he told people that he was using so much ketamine that it was affecting his bladder.
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"He took Ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms," the paper said. "And he traveled with a daily medication box that held about 20 pills, including ones with the markings of the stimulant Adderall, according to a photo of the box and people who have seen it."
According to the Times, it was not clear if Musk had used drugs after he stepped into his role in the administration but had exhibited erratic behavior, insulted cabinet members, gestured like a Nazi and that his answers were garbled his answers in a staged interview."
A bruised Elon Musk explained away a black eye during a White House appearance on Friday by saying that his 5-year-old son had punched him in the face while the two were playing around.
Musk made the comments during an Oval Office event with Donald Trump marking the end of the billionaire's formal cost-cutting role in the president's administration.
Musk's visibly bruised right eye caught reporters' attention. Asked about the injury, Musk said he was "horsing around" with his son, who is named X.
"And I said, 'Go ahead, punch me in the face.' And he did," Musk said
Trump then interjected. "That was X that did that? ...X could do it. If you knew X."
When he was initially asked about the bruise, Musk brushed it off with his usual cryptic humor. "I wasn’t anywhere near France," he quipped, referencing a recent incident where President Emmanuel Macron’s wife shoved him in the face.
Musk said he didn't feel much at the time but it bruised later.
The Tesla CEO is leaving the Trump administration after leading a tumultuous cost-cutting drive, during which he upended several federal agencies but ultimately failed to deliver the generational savings he had sought.