It should probably come as no surprise that Elon Musk’s recent appearance from the Oval Office has been met with a degree of controversy.
The SpaceX and Tesla founder, now acting head of the newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency, answered a number of questions from the press, including a particularly strange one regarding a supposed shipment of $50 million worth of condoms to Gaza.
Remember, Musk simply having an active role in the White House has come in for substantial criticism in some quarters.
The 53-year-old has never stood in any election, but was rather appointed to his role by President Donald Trump, that after having supported Trump’s campaign with millions of dollars and an aggressive PR campaign on his social media platform, X.
Trump’s first few weeks in office have been predictably eventful, with the real-estate mogul having signed a number of divisive executive orders and announced no small number of plans that are, frankly, difficult for people to believe.
Given the oft-bizarre happenings that color President Trump’s life – and indeed administrations – the fact that Elon Musk addressed the press from the Oval Office with his 4-year-old son, X Æ ‘X’ A-Xii (we know), in tow is just another chapter in the lucid fever dream we seem to be living.
Nevertheless, it lived up to all expectations in its undeniable weirdness, with Musk forced to publicly correct a statement he had previously made about sending $50 million worth of condoms to Gaza in the Middle East, when it was actually Gaza in Mozambique.
“How can we make sure that all the statements that you said were correct, so we can trust what you say?” the journalist asked after Musk had admitted he had it wrong.
“Some of the things that I say will be incorrect and should be corrected,” replied Musk.
“I mean, you know, we will make mistakes, but we’ll act quickly to correct any mistakes.”
Musk added: “I’m not sure we should be sending $50 million worth of condoms to anywhere, frankly. I’m not sure that’s something Americans would be really excited about.”
What made the discourse all the more interesting was that the line of questioning played out with President Trump sitting at his desk beside Musk. And while the POTUS held his silence, he was seen to be reacting.
Fans didn’t fail to spot Trump raising his eyebrows, shaking his head, and smirking as Musk was replying to the reporter.
Reviewing the moment, X user @CyberPunkRoad wrote: “In this video, just look at Trump’s body language and movements—it’s clear that he’s uncomfortable with Elon Musk. On one hand, he handed America over to Israel, and on the other, to a lunatic like Elon. He had no choice.
“When the reporter was asking Elon to correct the record about condoms for Gaza, which were instead for $50 million of condoms to Mozambique. I zoomed in on Trump‘s face. And he cracks me up more than you’ll ever know,” another person on the social media platform wrote.
“Trump’s reaction to that question is priceless,” quipped a third.
“Trump was looking angry there,” added a fourth.
What do you make of Elon Musk’s role in the government? How do you see things going between Musk and Trump moving forward? Let us know in the comments.