Elon Musk’s humanizing moment: He made DOGE a family affair

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.

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.