Online health and fashion criticism was triggered by Elon Musk’s appearance during a meeting at the White House with President Donald Trump and other officials.
Elon Musk attended a cabinet meeting in the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 30, 2025. His appearance during the meeting immediately attracted notice on social media, with internet users focusing on a single aspect.
Musk was seen sitting in the Cabinet Room with a red Gulf of America cap that resembled the popular “Make America Great Again (MAGA)” hats. President Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America by signing an executive order earlier in the year on January 20, 2025.
Numerous local and federal entities in the United States have begun to use the new name, despite the fact that it has not yet gained international recognition. The numbers “45 – 47,” which alluded to Trump’s tenure as the 45th and current 47th president of the United States, were also displayed on the cap.
Musk seemed to be wearing all black except for the cap. One video showed the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) wearing a black and red headgear before taking them off to talk.
During the exchange, Trump joked, “Elon, I love your double hat, by the way. He’s the only one who can get away with that.” Musk quipped in response, “Well, Mr. President, as they say, I wear a lot of hats. Even my hat wears a hat!”
As soon as the images and footage surfaced, internet users shared various reactions. One person humorously posted on Facebook, “Ah, Elon Musk’s double hat day at the cabinet meeting on Wednesday caused quite the stir! It seems that his unconventional decision to don two caps earned him some attention. I can only imagine the sight it would have been.”
However, not everyone focused on the hats. Some observers noticed something else entirely. One person asked, “What’s the slice in his neck??😮😮,” while another echoed, “what is on his neck? something happen to him? [sic]”
A concerned person questioned, “Elon got a biopsy on his neck?” and added, “Hope he’s okay.” Another one inquired about the “scar on his throat,” and someone criticized his attire, “Does he even know that’s inappropriate attire for a cabinet meeting?”
Reactions continued, with one commenter posting, “Good lord… Cringe,” while another said, “Seriously, that makes you ‘LMAO’? Talk about easily amused. Embarrassing.”
Musk posted a picture of himself in the Oval Office of the White House on X in February 2025. He was wearing his usual black suit and stood in front of the president’s desk, grinning and holding out his arms while sporting an enormous red MAGA hat.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to a reporter’s inquiry regarding the dress code for the Oval Office at the beginning of March 2025. Some officials were “miffed” when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited without a suit, the correspondent noted.
When the reporter questioned Musk’s frequent casual attire, stating, “Elon Musk never wears a suit in there,” Leavitt responded, “He did last night.” She laughed and added, “I think the president liked it very much.”
When Musk visits the White House, he usually wears a black T-shirt, a long matching coat, and jeans. The Senior Advisor’s most recent appearance further enhanced his developing public image. Across political and cultural divides, the DOGE leader’s fusion of humor, symbolism, and style continues to pique interest and provoke discussion.
Musk has been in the headlines for a number of reasons in recent months. As previously mentioned, a shocking private conversation between the CEO of Tesla and a cryptocurrency influencer at the height of her online celebrity has been made public.
The Wall Street Journal claims that Musk, the billionaire who founded SpaceX and Tesla, reportedly asked cryptocurrency analyst Tiffany Fong if she would be interested in bearing his child. In late 2023, when Musk and Fong were interacting more, the request was sent over X direct messaging.
Musk has a reputation for being quite active on X, frequently posting about his businesses and political beliefs several times a day. While many of his tweets gain considerable attention, he also frequently communicates with lesser-known accounts—sometimes like their postings, reacting publicly, or reaching out via private messages.
According to those acquainted with the situation, he has occasionally used these chats to propose fathering children with women he has never met in person.
While reporting on the demise of cryptocurrency tycoon Sam Bankman-Fried, Fong entered Musk’s orbit. As she started sharing political content in favor of Donald Trump, her profile rose. In the summer of 2023, Musk became a follower and began responding to her postings more frequently.
This interaction was a huge boost: Fong’s following grew significantly, and in only two weeks in November, he made $21,000 via X’s revenue-sharing scheme.
Public suspicion was sparked when she even shared a screenshot of her precise earnings, which were $21,252.25 from November 8 to November 22. Someone on X made the mocking comment, “Breaking: Tiffany Fong pregnant with Elon Musk’s 17th child,” alluding to the substantial sum as well as her online exchanges with Musk.
Musk allegedly offered her the chance to have his child in a message sent to her that same month. According to reports, Fong declined because she preferred a more conventional family environment for raising children. Ashley St. Clair, another conservative influencer, was among the individuals she later confided in, but she was worried that the rejection might have an impact on her income.
Musk chastised her for being careless and unfollowed her after finding out she had shared the message with others. Her earnings and follower engagement quickly started to drop.
Fong has publicly denied ever meeting Musk in person and told Daily Mail that the pregnancy rumor was completely false. Additionally, in February, she posted a screenshot of a headline mocking the rumor and captioned it, “We live in a clown world. 🤣😭.”
On X, she joked, “Wow, according to the internet, i’m ‘pregnant.’ congrats to me this is huge news [sic]!!!” followed by, “As far as i know, i am not pregnant, but thank you [sic]!!!”
When contacted by The Independent for a comment on this report, Fong clarified that she did not leak anything to the Wall Street Journal and “would have rather kept it private.”
In addition to this particular instance, Fong is well-known for her unorthodox ascent in the crypto media industry. She balances a number of jobs, including managing an online store, and spends the most of her time in Las Vegas.
She started sharing updates on YouTube after Celsius blocked customer withdrawals in 2022, depriving her of her cryptocurrency funds. Her initial video, which was intended as a way for her to express her dissatisfaction, quickly evolved into a platform that allowed her to share interviews and legal updates.
Her coverage of the FTX scandal garnered additional attention. She made audio recordings of a phone conversation with Bankman-Fried public in November 2022, providing a glimpse into his thoughts following the failure of FTX.
Although she was not a journalist, she revealed that she wished to present a fair analysis of his remarks. She also received and transmitted documents written by Bankman-Fried, including notes regarding his financial accounts, while he was under house arrest.
Fong, who has volunteered as a crisis counselor and interned in public relations and entertainment law, states on her LinkedIn bio that she is a “reluctant crypto content creator.”
Her name has featured in publications like The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Bloomberg. She is a graduate of the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. She cautions fans to be wary of scammers and impersonators exploiting her name, even if she has a large following in the media.
Fong may not be the mother of Musk’s child, but according to her friend St. Clair, she is. The former “The Babylon Bee” commentator said that the child, Romulus, was born five months earlier in a sequence of events covered by The Wall Street Journal in their April 15 issue.
The name has since sparked online conversations, particularly following St. Clair’s social media confirmation earlier this year. On Facebook, some users expressed a mix of empathy and sarcasm. One person wrote, “That name isnt as bad as some of the other kids names [sic].” Another commented, “I really feel bad for this child.”
Another was added, “Well, at least Romulus is a NAME and not part of a mathematical equation, like poor X Æ A-Xii. That poor kid is probably going to have some issues….”
Reactions on Instagram were similarly varied. One netizen wrote, “Its his kid. Straight up. Name like that [sic]!” Another said, “What a name [sic].” A second one added, “Poor baby.”
Meanwhile, another person asked, “Why and how [sic].” Yet another reader divulged, “Romulus? i mean i loved the new alien movies but that’s a little much gang [sic].”
The Wall Street Journal claims that in exchange for St. Clair’s quiet on their child, Musk gave her a $15 million one-time payment and $100,000 in support each month.
As part of the deal, Musk’s name would not appear on his birth certificate, and their connection would remain confidential. At first, St. Clair consented by granting the request to remove Musk’s name from the birth certificate. But in the end, she didn’t sign the entire contract.
The agreement would have prevented St. Clair from publicly criticizing Musk or talking about him in connection with their child. She would have to refund the $15 million lump sum if she broke those conditions.
The agreement did not include life insurance, security clauses, a trust fund, or support in the event that Musk passed away before their son turned 21. Musk was likewise free to criticize St. Clair without facing the same restrictions.
One of the key causes of concern for St. Clair was how the arrangement may effect her kid. According to reports, she believed Romulus would feel illegitimate. According to her lawyer, Karen B. Rosenthal, she also requested a paternity test, which is necessary for child-support agreements in her home state of New York.
Additionally, St. Clair attempted to speak with Musk directly about the matter, but he allegedly ignored her texts. According to The Wall Street Journal, she posted on X in February to avert the news after finding out that a tabloid was planning a piece about their relationship.
“Five months ago, I welcomed a new baby into the world. Elon Musk is the father,” she wrote. “I have not previously disclosed this to protect our child’s privacy and safety, but in recent days it has become clear that tabloid media intends to do so, regardless of the harm it will cause.”
Musk allegedly retracted the $15 million offer after this article. The support amount was lowered to $40,000 per month when court procedures over Musk’s request for a gag order and paternity testing started, which also happened to be when St. Clair’s legal bills increased.
St. Clair claimed she had not received the child support payment that was supposed to arrive the next day by the time The Wall Street Journal reached out to Musk for comment on Thursday, April 10. Musk’s team sent $20,000 late on Tuesday, thereby halving her income once more.
St. Clair revealed that Jared Birchall, Musk’s agent, informed her that other moms of Musk’s children had already signed similar nondisclosure agreements. After Romulus was born, Birchall was the one who persuaded her to sign the secrecy forms.
Musk, known for his focus on space exploration, has previously stated on X that making humanity multiplanetary is essential to ensure “the long-term survival of humanity and all life as we know it.”
According to many close to him, he is driven by the conviction that a shrinking population poses a threat to society. According to reports, Musk wants to contribute to the population of the Earth by bringing in highly intelligent people.
During St. Clair’s pregnancy, Musk suggested they bring in additional women to accelerate the process. According to a text message reviewed by the Journal, he wrote, “To reach legion-level before the apocalypse, we will need to use surrogates.”
He refers to his children as a “legion,” likening them to Roman military units that helped expand the empire’s reach. In other private correspondence, Musk expressed fear about the risks of revealing his involvement, texting St. Clair that he considered himself the “#2 after Trump for assassination,” and adding that “only the paranoid survive.”
Public discussions about Elon Musk’s children often extend beyond news reports and financial agreements. The unusual names he gave his children—and the motivations behind them—have also drawn attention in previous years.
Musk and his ex-partner, singer Grimes, unveiled their first kid together in 2020 with the controversial name X Æ A-12.
The unique choice prompted widespread curiosity, which Grimes addressed publicly online, “X, the unknown variable. Æ, my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence). A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent. (A=Archangel, my favorite song) (metal rat).”
In a follow-up post on X, she added, “I think it sounds like the name of the main character in the story I hope he vibes with that. Ok, going back into the pain/ beauty reverie for sum time, just came on to add my thoughts. Peace to all [sic].”
Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, later provided more in-depth information on the difficulties and nuances of her relationship with Musk in a 2022 Vanity Fair interview.
She frequently goes by Grimes, Claire, or even “c,” which is a reference to the scientific sign for the speed of light, according to the report.
Grimes clarified that her affiliation with Musk eclipsed a large portion of her identity, particularly after having a mother.
She described Musk as deeply involved in their son’s life, “X is just out there. I mean, I think E is really seeing him as a protégé and bringing him to everything and stuff.… X is out there. His situation is like that.”
At several points in the interview, she grew obviously uneasy, demonstrating how delicate and private the subject had grown. Grimes chuckled and admitted, “She’s a little colicky too,” at one point when the interviewer heard a baby wailing upstairs. This confirmed the arrival of her and Musk’s second child, a daughter named Y.
The story disclosed that the couple had utilized a surrogate to conceal the pregnancy and delivery from the public, even if Grimes did not immediately confirm the child’s complete name.
Grimes described the pregnancy with her first child as physically difficult, “I hemorrhaged. It was scary.” She also mentioned collapsing during late pregnancy due to nerve pressure, which required her to crawl instead of walk.
In the same interview, she said Musk and she were no longer traditionally “together,” explaining their relationship as “very fluid.”
They lived in separate homes, saw each other regularly, and considered each other best friends. When asked whether they planned to expand their family, she said, “We’ve always wanted at least three or four.”
Musk had earlier acknowledged their split in 2021, citing distance and demanding work as the reasons. While Grimes was located in Los Angeles and then Austin, where she continued to raise X and work on new creative projects, he had been spending more time in Texas, close to the SpaceX Starbase and a new Tesla Gigafactory.
