ELON Musk appeared to have a black eye as he said his final goodbyes to President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency.
The Tesla founder made no mention of his bizarre appearance as Trump showered him with praise and thanked him for the 130 days of work.
Trump started off the last press briefing by showing a video clip from CNBC in which an anchor enthusiastically stated that personal income had surged and exceeded predictions by three times.
During the conference, the president praised Musk for his accomplishments, notably cutting various overseas initiatives reported to be backed by USAID, while looking at him with admiration.
“He’s an incredible patriot,” Trump said after fuming about how the media criticized Musk.
Musk, sporting a black t-shirt with “The Dogefather” printed on it in the fashion of The Godfather, grinned and acknowledged Trump’s remarks.
Zoomed-in pictures of the billionaire appeared to show he had a black eye.
Fans shared their concern for the Tesla founder, and questioned what had left the painful-looking mark.
“Does Elon Musk have a black eye in the Oval Office right now?” wrote one viewer on X.
“Oh man, I can’t wait for the conspiracy theories.”
“Is no one going to ask why Elon Musk has a black eye,” said another person.
Another person wrote, “What is up with Elon Musk having a black eye at today’s White House Conference with President Trump?”
Earlier this week, Musk confirmed that he would soon be stepping down from his position and thanked the White House for having him.
“The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” he said in the post.
Trump confirmed that Friday would be Musk’s last day, but insisted that the tech billionaire would “always be helping all the way.”
Questions still remain over who will lead the department in Musk’s absence, but White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt suggested it would be a group effort.
Musk made a lofty vow to save the government $1 trillion, and claims that DOGE has already slashed $160 billion in spending.
He’s also had a slew of viral moments since joining Trump’s campaign, like when he held up a massive “chainsaw for bureaucracy” on stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
In one presser with Trump, Musk set up a makeshift Tesla dealership outside the White House where the president gushed about the “computer” inside the cars.
And several times he was seen in the Oval Office with his four-year-old son X Æ A-Xii, whom he shares with his estranged ex Grimes.
Trump has been teasing Musk’s exit for some time now, and has stressed that he wished he could have the billionaire’s help in the cabinet full time.
However, Musk has said that he needs to return to his various companies like SpaceX and Tesla to keep operations moving along.
Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s complicated relationship
Former president Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s relationship started rocky, but the pair have since reconciled, with Musk fully endorsing Trump and interviewing him on X Spaces on August 12.
In 2022, Elon Musk and Donald Trump publicly feuded on X, then still known as Twitter.
Trump called Musk a liar and “bulls**t artist” during a rally in Alaska.
“Elon is not going to buy Twitter,” Trump said at the time.
“You know, he said the other day, ‘I’ve never voted for a Republican.’ I said, ‘I didn’t know that – you told me you voted for me. So he’s another bulls**t artist, but he’s not going to be buying it.”
In response to Trump’s critiques, the SpaceX founder clapped back.
“I don’t hate the man, but it’s time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset,” Musk posted.
Musk also went on to buy X months later.
The X owner said he had previously voted mostly for Democrats since becoming a United States citizen in 2002.
Musk initially backed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to be the Republican Party’s presidential nominee.
“My preference for the 2024 presidency is someone sensible and centrist,” Musk wrote on X in 2022.
“I had hoped that would [be] the case for the Biden administration, but have been disappointed so far.”
His shift in political parties might be attributed to his plummeting relationship with President Joe Biden who didn’t invite Musk to the 2021 White House electric vehicle summit.
Despite their past issues, Trump and Musk’s relationship took a turn in March after they met at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump was also previously against electric vehicles but has since changed his stance.
“I’m for electric cars,” he said at a rally earlier this month.
“I have to be, because Elon endorsed me very strongly. So I have no choice.”
Following the assassination attempt at Trump’s rally in July, Musk announced his support for the former president.
“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk wrote on X after the shooting.
During a recent press conference, Trump spoke highly of Musk.
“I respect Elon a lot. He respects me,” he said.
“Elon, more than almost anybody I know, he loves this country. He loves the concept of this country, but like me, he says this country is in big trouble, it’s in tremendous danger.”
Musk has been pictured at events at Mar-a-Lago and the UFC, buddying up with Trump.
Trump selected Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency – a taskforce aimed at cutting bureaucracy.
