Elon Musk's son 'X', perched on father's shoulders, steals the spotlight at Oval Office; netizens say 'cuteness overload'

Tech billionaire Elon Musk's four-year-old son X hogged the limelight at the Oval Office at Tuesday’s press conference with President Donald Trump. Mimicking his billionaire father and picking his nose, the child was seen playfully roaming the Oval Office while the US President Donald Trump signed an executive order reshaping the federal workforce.


Elon Musk was at the White House to witness Trump sign an executive order requiring federal agencies to cooperate with the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to slash costs after facing pushback last week.


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Elon Musk's son at the Oval Office

Musk's son was seen smiling, climbing onto his father’s shoulders, mimicking him, making the reporters laugh, and wandering around as the president and Musk addressed them. As Musk answered questions from the press, his son X Æ A-Xii proved to be a distraction by pulling faces, clinging onto his dad’s shoulders and interrupting him. At one point, he charmed the room by politely excusing himself, saying, "Mr President it's me, I need to pee."


One video circulating on social media shows X picking his nose and wiping it on the Resolute desk, which was gifted to President Rutherford Hayes by Queen Victoria in 1880 and used by nearly every president since, according to a report in The Independent. At another moment, X started mimicking his father while he was talking about democracy, prompting the billionaire to pause. The newly elected president called the child 'a great guy' and a 'high IQ individual.'

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How social media reacted to Musk's son presence

Netizens also took notice of 'Little X' and his adorable presence. Musk fans delighted in seeing X, whom he shares with singer Grimes, in the Oval Office.

Photos of the boy grinning at reporters and perching on Musk’s shoulders spread online, amusing many with the unusual sight of a child. “Elon Musk is standing next to President Trump, talking about cutting the deficit in half—and his 4-year-old son, X, is just casually hanging off his dad’s shoulders, whispering to Trump, and picking his nose. Only Elon Musk could make an Oval Office press conference look like a casual family hangout!” one Trump supporter fawned in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, which Musk bought for $44bn in 2022 and renamed.

“Elon Musk’s kid stole the show in the Oval Office today,” another person said.

Conservative commentator and author Brigitte Gabriel said Musk’s son provided a “cuteness overload!” in the Oval Office.

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But not everyone was thrilled. “I'm watching Elon Musk's son pick his nose, eat boogers and wipe them on the Resolute desk,” one person said. “There's no way this kid is not annoying Trump.” “Elon’s kid wiping his boogers on the resolute desk is a sight I didn’t really need to see,” another commented.

Another quipped that the four-year-old looked bored. “It’s a close run thing between Trump and Musk’s son as which of them looks more bored at Elon’s disjointed rambling,” the person said.

A user on social media appreciated the child's behaviour and wrote, ""Lil X was very polite today! You raised him well. He was so cute when he told DJT, 'please forgive me, I need to pee.'". Musk also reshared a post comparing a photo of Little X with Trump to an old image of JFK with his son.

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Musk's first wife reacts

Musk's first wife Grimes was, however, less enthusiastic and did not seem happy about it. Responding to the post, she wrote, "He should not be in public like this. I did not see this, thank u for alerting me. But I’m glad he was polite. Sigh."

Elon Musk and Grimes, who were in a relationship from 2018 to 2022, share three children: X Æ A-XII (Little X), Exa Dark Sideræl, and Techno Mechanicus. The press conference covered key issues such as US funding for condoms in Gaza, immigration policies, federal spending cuts, and the role of democracy and transparency but it was Musk’s young son who ended up drawing much of the attention.

The SpaceX CEO has brought his son along to a number of major political moments, including onstage at Trump’s inauguration and appearing on a live broadcast on election night.