Brings kid to workDressed down in MAGA hats and t-shirts, Musk became a near constant presence in the White House. For a while, so did his four-year-old son named X.During Musk"s first appearance before press since his arrival in Washington to run DOGE, the child was trotted out and Trump said, "This is X and he"s a great guy."The boy was filmed picking his nose while his father boasted about his cost-cutting exploits standing next to the Oval Office"s Resolute Desk.Image by Jim WATSON / AFP
Overshadowing Trump"s cabinetAt Trump"s first cabinet meeting on February 26, Musk had a starring role even though he is not part of the cabinet. He stood looming near a doorway, wearing a t-shirt with words "Tech Support" across the chest as the cabinet met.Even without a literal seat at the table, the country"s most powerful officials were overshadowed by Musk, who helped bankroll Trump"s 2024 presidential campaign.Trump downplayed this tension shortly before the meeting, posting on his social media platform: "ALL CABINET MEMBERS ARE EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH ELON."Image by Jim WATSON / AFP
Trump the Tesla salesmanWith Musk"s Tesla car company taking a battering on the stock market and sales dropping sharply, and with vandals targeting his brand, the White House hosted a highly publicized test drive to boost Tesla"s rep.With a Tesla Cybertruck and a Model S parked on the South Portico, Trump and Musk mounted a sale"s pitch.Trump even said he had purchased one.The stunt didn"t ultimately turn around Tesla"s plummeting sales, with the electric vehicle maker reporting a 71 percent drop in first-quarter profits.Image by Mandel NGAN / AFP
Fails to sway court electionMoney can"t buy you everything, Musk discovered, after pouring $25 million into the most expensive court race in US history to try to get a pro-Trump Republican judge elected to Wisconsin"s Supreme Court.Musk paid voters $100 to sign a petition opposing "activist judges" and even handed out $1 million checks to voters, beseeching the public to select the conservative judge.The court"s docket was packed with precedent-setting cases over abortion and reproductive rights, the strength of public sector unions, voting rules and congressional district boundaries.The US state in April instead chose a liberal judge by a wide margin, dismaying the billionaire -- who had spent roughly $277 million in 2024 in the national race to help get Trump elected.Image by Robin LEGRAND / AFP
Tariff dissenterAfter Trump announced his sweeping US tariffs, deeply affecting major trading partners China and the European Union, Musk made the case for a free-trade zone between the US and Europe.This clashes with Trump trade policy.Shortly after, he called Trump"s economic adviser Peter Navarro (above, left), a longtime advocate for trade barriers, "dumber than a sack of bricks."Navarro had taken aim at Tesla, saying the carmaker mostly sourced assembled major components from factories in Asia.Musk retorted with studies he said showed "Tesla has the most American-made cars."White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt later tried to play down the public feud, saying that "boys will be boys."Image by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP
