WASHINGTON–Elon Musk cracked a joke about the first lady of France, Brigitte Macron, striking French President Emmanuel Macron, when Musk was asked about his own black eye on Friday.
Musk appeared with a shiner in the Oval Office Friday for his send-off press conference as his tenure as a special government employee comes to a close.
One reporter asked the Tesla CEO what caused the injury.
🚨 LMAO! Elon Musk just TROLLED Emmanuel Macron when a reporter asked what happen to Elon's eye
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) May 30, 2025
"Well, I wasn't anywhere near France..."
Elon was referring to French President Macron's wife punching him in the face on camera this week 🤣
Turns out, Little X did the damage. pic.twitter.com/XbNe0t0ykR
“Well, it wasn’t–I wasn’t anywhere near France,” Musk joked.
While some laughed, the joke escaped the reporter, who asked, “What does that mean?”
Treasury Secretary Howard Lutnick clued the reporter in that it was a reference to Brigitte Macron striking her husband’s face as they deplaned in Vietnam this week.
Emmanuel Macron's Wife Appears to Hit Him in the Face, Refuses to Take His Arm pic.twitter.com/bvyJXsHE9e
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 26, 2025
Musk then revealed that his five-year-old son, X, was the real culprit.
“I was just horsing around with the little X, and I said, ‘Go ahead, punch me in the face.’ And he did,” Musk said.
Trump jumped in, exclaiming, “That was X that did that?”
“X could do it! If you knew X, he could do it,” Trump told the reporters.
Earlier in the press conference, Trump expressed his gratitude to Musk for his work leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as he reached the 130 cap for special government employees.
“Today, it’s about a man named Elon, and he’s one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced. He stepped forward to put his very great talents into the service of our nation, and we appreciate it,” Trump said.
The president gifted Musk a gold key to the White House as a token of his appreciation.
.@POTUS presents @elonmusk with a gold White House key as a gift for his service as a special government employee. pic.twitter.com/vmpp3RcSTm
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 30, 2025
Musk thanked Trump and emphasized this is only the beginning of DOGE.