Elon Musk made DOGE a family affair to humanize his image Hadas Gold Elon Musk carries his son X Æ A-Xii on his shoulders while speaking as US President Donald Trump looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Tuesday’s press conference in the Oval Office was already unusual, with Elon Musk standing behind President Donald Trump at the Resolute Desk to talk about the Department of Government Efficiency – illustrating the power the world’s richest man now holds. But there was another layer of novelty. Musk’s 4-year-old son, X Æ A-Xii (known as “X”), stood alongside his famous father and the President sharply dressed and well-behaved, yet still a child. Case in point: He stuck his fingers in his father’s ear, wiggled around and at one point even picked his nose. It was a humanizing moment for Musk, who has dominated politics and the news since blazing into and upending Washington. But it was also a window into Musk’s very unusual, and sometimes turbulent, private life. X is one of Musk’s 12 children, the first of three with the musician known as Grimes. He is the child most often seen publicly by Musk’s side. In Walter Isaacson’s authorized biography of Musk, X is often described as being scooped up by his father to attend meetings or wander construction sites. He even sat on his father’s lap during Time magazine’s ceremony celebrating Musk as Person of the Year in 2021. “X had an otherworldly sweetness that calmed and beguiled Musk, who craved his presence. He took X everywhere,” Isaacson wrote. Musk seemed to relish in the attention his son received on Tuesday, posting photos and videos from the event on X. He replied with a heart and smiley emoji to a side-by-side image of his son at the Resolute Desk to a famous photo of former President John F. Kennedy and his son, John Jr., peeking out from under the same table. “Yes,” Musk replied to venture capitalist Katherine Boyle when she posted: “Normalize children being everywhere,” alongside a photo of X in the Oval Office. X is often in the public eye more so than Musk’s other children, some of whom are now grown adults. Isaacson wrote in his book that his elder children would sometimes beg their famous father not to post photos of them on social media. Musk has a contentious relationship with his daughter, Vivian, who at age 18 officially changed her name and gender from male to female – and disassociated herself from her father who has spoken out against transgender rights. “I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form,” Vivian wrote in her court petition. Musk said in an interview last year that he “lost my son, essentially,” adding that his son was “dead, killed by the woke mind virus.” Not everyone was pleased with X’s appearance in the Oval Office, with some questioning how appropriate it was to subject a child to such public scrutiny. That included X’s mother, the singer Grimes. “He should not be in public like this,” she wrote on X in response to a user complimenting her son’s behavior. “I did not see this, thank u for alerting me. But I’m glad he was polite. Sigh”.
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Elon Musk made DOGE a family affair to humanize his image
Hadas Gold

Elon Musk carries his son X Æ A-Xii on his shoulders while speaking as US President Donald Trump looks on in the Oval Office of the White House.

Tuesday’s press conference in the Oval Office was already unusual, with Elon Musk standing behind President Donald Trump at the Resolute Desk to talk about the Department of Government Efficiency – illustrating the power the world’s richest man now holds.

But there was another layer of novelty. Musk’s 4-year-old son, X Æ A-Xii (known as “X”), stood alongside his famous father and the President sharply dressed and well-behaved, yet still a child. Case in point: He stuck his fingers in his father’s ear, wiggled around and at one point even picked his nose.

It was a humanizing moment for Musk, who has dominated politics and the news since blazing into and upending Washington. But it was also a window into Musk’s very unusual, and sometimes turbulent, private life.

X is one of Musk’s 12 children, the first of three with the musician known as Grimes. He is the child most often seen publicly by Musk’s side.

In Walter Isaacson’s authorized biography of Musk, X is often described as being scooped up by his father to attend meetings or wander construction sites. He even sat on his father’s lap during Time magazine’s ceremony celebrating Musk as Person of the Year in 2021.

“X had an otherworldly sweetness that calmed and beguiled Musk, who craved his presence. He took X everywhere,” Isaacson wrote.

Musk seemed to relish in the attention his son received on Tuesday, posting photos and videos from the event on X. He replied with a heart and smiley emoji to a side-by-side image of his son at the Resolute Desk to a famous photo of former President John F. Kennedy and his son, John Jr., peeking out from under the same table.

“Yes,” Musk replied to venture capitalist Katherine Boyle when she posted: “Normalize children being everywhere,” alongside a photo of X in the Oval Office.

X is often in the public eye more so than Musk’s other children, some of whom are now grown adults. Isaacson wrote in his book that his elder children would sometimes beg their famous father not to post photos of them on social media.

Musk has a contentious relationship with his daughter, Vivian, who at age 18 officially changed her name and gender from male to female – and disassociated herself from her father who has spoken out against transgender rights.

“I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form,” Vivian wrote in her court petition.

Musk said in an interview last year that he “lost my son, essentially,” adding that his son was “dead, killed by the woke mind virus.”

Not everyone was pleased with X’s appearance in the Oval Office, with some questioning how appropriate it was to subject a child to such public scrutiny. That included X’s mother, the singer Grimes.

“He should not be in public like this,” she wrote on X in response to a user complimenting her son’s behavior. “I did not see this, thank u for alerting me. But I’m glad he was polite. Sigh”.