"Wasn't Near France": Elon Musk Snubs French President On Black Eye Question
Washington:
Elon Musk couldn't resist taking a jab at French President Emmanuel Macron during his Oval Office sendoff on Friday. The billionaire, officially stepping down from his role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), appeared with a visible black eye, leading to questions from reporters.
Asked about the bruising, Elon Musk said, "I wasn't anywhere near France," drawing laughter in the room.
????REPORTER: "Mr. Musk, what happened to your eye?"
ELON: "Well, I wasn't anywhere near France." ???????????? pic.twitter.com/v7MW1hZYus
— Autism Capital ???? (@AutismCapital) May 30, 2025
The comment was a clear dig at the recently-viral video of Emmanuel Macron getting his face seemingly shoved by his wife, Brigitte, aboard a plane in Vietnam. The clip showed Macron standing at the aircraft doorway as Brigitte, still inside, appeared to push his face aside with both hands. The moment drew sharp reactions on social media, with many referring to it as a "slap."
Macron later called the moment a "joke."
Musk then clarified that the real cause of his black eye was his 5-year-old son, X AE A-12, known as "Lil' X." "I was just horsing around with lil' X, and I said, 'go ahead punch me in the face,' and he did," Musk explained. "Turns out even a five-year-old punching you in the face actually is... well, it leaves a mark."
US President Donald Trump, also present during the press conference, chimed in when asked whether he had advice for Macron on the viral video, "Make sure the door remains closed," he joked, before adding, "That was not good."
Still, Trump stressed that Macron and his wife were "fine" and said he had spoken to the French leader after the video surfaced. "They're good people. I don't know what that was all about," he said.
The sendoff also came as Musk battled fresh headlines, including a New York Times report alleging drug use - including ketamine, ecstasy, and mushrooms - during the 2024 campaign trail. The paper claimed Musk even travelled with a pill box and that his ketamine use caused bladder problems, though it remained unclear whether he used drugs while serving at DOGE.
Musk hit back on Saturday, posting on X, "To be clear, I am not taking drugs! The New York Times was lying their a** off." He acknowledged trying prescription ketamine in the past, writing, "It helps for getting out of dark mental holes, but haven't taken it since then."
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