‘Go ahead, punch me in the face': Musk jokes about black eye after Oval Office farewell, says five-year-old son delivered the punch
WASHINGTON, May 31 — Billionaire Elon Musk sparked fevered speculation when he turned up with a black eye for his Oval Office farewell with US President Donald Trump on Friday.
But the South African-born tech magnate said he had a simple explanation: his son had punched him in the face.
'I was just horsing around with lil' X, and I said, 'go ahead punch me in the face,'' 53-year-old Musk told reporters when asked how he got the shiner.
'And he did. Turns out even a five-year-old punching you in the face actually is...' he added, before tailing off.
'I didn't really feel much at the time but I guess it bruises up.'
Trump hosted the press conference with Musk to mark the Tesla boss's last day at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk had expressed increasing disillusionment with the job but said he would remain a 'friend and advisor.'
Musk's appearance was overshadowed by allegations in the New York Times that he had engaged in heavy drug use while on the campaign trail for Trump in 2024.
Trump said he 'didn't notice' the purple bruise next to Musk's right eye, but added: 'X could do it, if you knew X.'
Musk's son X — full name X Æ A-Xii — made frequent appearances in the White House when his father was running DOGE's cost-cutting rampage through the federal government.
He even sat on Musk's shoulders during the SpaceX magnate's first Oval appearance back in February, and was seen picking his nose next to Trump's 'Resolute' Desk.
Musk took the chance to joke at French President Emmanuel Macron's expense when it came to his black eye.
After Trump was asked for his reaction to a video of Macron's wife apparently shoving the French leader's face, Musk laughed and said: 'I've got a little shiner here.'
Musk, wearing a DOGE baseball cap and a T-shirt saying 'The Dogefather,' joked about it again when he was asked how he got the injury.
'I wasn't anywhere near France,' he said. — AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
US asks Australia to increase defence spending to 3.5pc of GDP
SYDNEY: Australia's prime minister said on Monday his government would decide its defence capability needs before announcing defence spending, after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth asked Australia to lift its defence budget to 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product. "What you should do in defence is decide what you need, your capability, and then provide for it," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters, adding his government had already committed to accelerate A$10 billion in defence spending for the next four years. "We're continuing to lift up," he said, citing a 2.3 per cent goal for 2033 previously set by his government. Hegseth and Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles discussed security issues including accelerating US defence capabilities in Australia and advancing industrial base cooperation during a meeting on Friday, a Pentagon statement said on Sunday. "On defence spending, Secretary Hegseth conveyed that Australia should increase its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of its GDP as soon as possible," the statement said. The ministers' meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier security forum, is only the second between the security allies since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January. Albanese, who was re-elected in May and is yet to meet Trump, did not raise defence spending in this year's national budget, saying his government had already announced a A$50 billion boost over a decade. Peter Dean, director of foreign policy and defence at the University of Sydney's United States Studies Centre, said Albanese was positioning ahead of his first meeting with Trump, where the pair are also expected to discuss tariffs. Albanese would want the decision on a defence boost to be seen as a sovereign one not imposed by Trump, after the election showed standing up for Australia was popular domestically, he said. Australia's defence spending in 1987 was around 3 per cent of GDP or 10 per cent of the national budget, compared to 2 per cent of GDP or 6 per cent of the budget in 2025, he said. "To achieve self-reliance in the modern era, with the threat from China, and within our region, it is going to cost more money," Dean said. The US would spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence this year, he added. Australia has comitted to spend A$368 billion over three decades on the AUKUS programme to acquire and build nuclear powered submarines, and is also boosting missile acquisition and manufacture. - Reuters
Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Asian stocks rally as Trump's ‘Liberation Day' tariffs hit court hurdle
Investors reacted to the US court blocking tariffs by moving to safe havens, lifting the dollar, S&P 500, and Nasdaq futures. (AP pic) SYDNEY : Asian shares and Wall Street futures climbed in Asia on Thursday after a US federal court blocked President Donald Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs from going into effect, sending the dollar up on safe haven currencies. The Manhattan-based Court of International Trade ruled that Trump overstepped his authority by imposing across-the-board duties on imports from nations that sell more to the US than they buy. The White House quickly appealed the decision, and could take it all the way to the Supreme Court if needed, but in the meantime it offered some hope that Trump might back away from the highest tariff levels he had threatened. 'We're just trying to work out what it might mean basically but obviously the market is doing a knee-jerk reaction,' said Ray Attrill, head of FX strategy at NAB. 'So this may be an absolute storm in a teacup or potentially something more significant.' Investors reacted by embracing risk assets and Japan's Nikkei quickly rose 1%, while South Korea's shares added 0.8%. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up, awaiting the opening of Chinese markets. S&P 500 futures climbed 1.5%, while Nasdaq futures rose 1.8%. The latter had already been lifted by relief over earnings from Nvidia, which beat sales estimates. The chipmaker and AI darling also projected strong revenues for the current quarter, sending its shares up 4.4% after hours. That news helped offset a Financial Times report that the White House had ordered US firms that offer software used to design semiconductors to stop selling their services to Chinese groups. The New York Times separately reported the US had suspended some sales to China of critical US technologies, including those related to jet engines, semiconductors and certain chemicals. Pushing out rate cuts The news of the court decision hit traditional safe havens, lifting the dollar 0.8% on the Swiss franc to 0.336. It gained 0.6% on the Japanese yen to 145.76 yen, while the euro dipped 0.5% to US$1.1230. Yields on 10-year Treasuries rose 3 basis points to 4.51% and markets further shaved the chance of a Federal Reserve rate cut anytime soon. Minutes of the last Fed meeting showed 'almost all participants commented on the risk that inflation could prove to be more persistent than expected' due to Trump's tariffs. A rate cut in July is now seen as just a 22% chance, while September has come into around 60% having been more than fully priced a month ago. In commodity markets, gold slipped 0.9% to US$3,259 an ounce. Oil prices extended a rally begun on supply concerns as Opec+ agreed to leave their output policy unchanged and as the US barred Chevron from exporting Venezuelan crude.
Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
US dollar declines as traders assess tariff outlook
The dollar fell after Donald Trump said he would double tariffs on imported steel and aluminum to 50% starting June 4. (Reuters pic) TOKYO : The US dollar edged lower on Monday, giving back some of its gains from last week, as markets weighed the outlook for President Donald Trump's tariff policy and its potential to constrict growth and unleash inflation. The greenback starts the week on the back foot after Trump said late on Friday that he plans to double duties on imported steel and aluminum to 50% from Wednesday. The US currency has been whipsawed for weeks by Trump's on-again-off-again trade war, falling when a flare up in tensions stokes worries of a potential US recession. The dollar witnessed weekly tumbles of 3% against major peers in the days after the April 2 'Liberation Day' tariffs and 1.9% two weeks ago, when Trump threatened 50% levies on Europe. Last week, the greenback got a bit of respite, rising 0.3% after talks with the European Union got back on track and a US trade court blocked the bulk of Trump's tariffs on the grounds that he overstepped his authority. Although an appeals court reinstated the duties a day later as it considers the case, and Trump's administration said it had other avenues to implement the levies if it loses in court, many analysts said it shows there are still checks in place on the President's power. The dollar dropped 0.3% to 143.57 yen as of 0023 GMT, giving back some of its more than 1% rally from last week. The euro gained 0.2% to US$1.1372, and sterling advanced 0.3% to US$1.3489. The Australian dollar added 0.3% to US$0.6454. The US dollar index, which measures the currency against six major peers, eased 0.2% to 99.214. The dollar has also been weighed down by fiscal worries in recent weeks, amid a broad 'Sell America' theme that has seen dollar assets from stocks to Treasury bonds dropping. Those concerns come into particular focus this week as the Senate starts considering Trump's sweeping tax cut and spending bill, which will add an estimated US$3.8 trillion to the federal government's US$36.2 trillion in debt over the next decade. Many senators have already said the bill will need major revisions, and Trump said he welcomes changes. The fate of section 899 of the bill could be crucial, according to Barclays analysts. 'S899 would give the US free rein to tax companies and investors from countries deemed to have 'unfair foreign taxes' (and) could be seen as a tax on the US capital account at a time when investor nervousness towards US assets has grown,' they said in a research report. 'Actively reducing foreigners' total return on their US investments would dent inflows and weigh on the dollar, all else equal,' they added. 'While dollar sentiment/positioning remains close to extreme negativity, the path ahead is by no means clear cut.'
