'I want you to shut your mouth' and 'You are not the president; you need to go away': Elon Musk's son tells Trump (WATCH)

Washington D.C. – Tech billionaire and Pretoria native Elon Musk once again shared the spotlight with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday night, but it was Musk's four-year-old son, X Æ A-Xii, affectionately known as Lil X, who truly stole the show.

Musk, who has been a prominent supporter of Trump since he took office, brought his son along to the event, where the pair signed an executive order aimed at downsizing the federal workforce. However, it was Lil X's unfiltered behaviour that captured the attention of the world.

As Musk addressed the press, briefing them on the "astounding findings" of his Department of Government Efficiency, Lil X was seen picking his nose and whispering to President Trump. A video clip that quickly went viral on X (formerly Twitter) appeared to capture the child telling Trump to "shut your mouth."

Social media users were quick to speculate about the "hot mic" moment, with some claiming that Lil X also said to Trump, "You are not the president; you need to go away."

While some social media users claimed the child seemingly said: “You are not the President, you need to go away,” others disputed this. “I watched it live and it didn’t happen like that,” said Ms Gina Smith on Facebook. Instead, the boy said something akin to “I was told to shush”, to which Mr Trump replied “yeah”, according to X user GenXtina.

Regardless of the exact words, the incident sparked a flurry of reactions online, with many praising the child's apparent candour. "Kids (definitely) repeat what they hear at home," said netizen Mike Litoris on social media platform X. Ms Tip Jackson said on Facebook: "It's been said 'kids always tell the truth!'", while Ms Amber L Geyer said, "This kid is the winner!"

The pre-schooler X – full name X Æ A-Xii – made a surprise appearance in the Oval Office with Mr Musk and US President Donald Trump on Feb 11, where Mr Trump introduced the boy as a “high IQ individual”.

The incident wasn't the only moment of Lil X's antics to grab headlines. He was also seen picking his nose and wiping it on the Resolute Desk, a historic piece of furniture gifted to President Rutherford Hayes by Queen Victoria in 1880 and used by nearly every president since.

As the child grew more restless during the long press conference – at one point clinging on to Mr Musk’s leg – his father hoisted X up to sit on his shoulders while he continued answering questions from the media. “Sorry for this,” Mr Musk, a father of 12, said with a laugh as his son grabbed his hair and played with his ears.

X’s public appearance didn’t please his mother, singer-songwriter Grimes, who is currently embroiled in a custody battle with Mr Musk over X and their other children, three-year-old Exa Dark Siderael and two-year-old Techno Mechanicus.

“He should not be in public like this,” Grimes wrote on X, after being told by a follower that the boy was “very polite” after he told Mr Trump “please forgive me, I need to pee”.

Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, added: “I did not see this, thank you for alerting me. But I’m glad he was polite. Sigh.”

Following Musk’s acquisition of Twitter (now X) in October 2022, he reinstated Donald Trump’s account, marking the beginning of their “bromance.” Musk played a crucial role over the next two years in helping the 78-year-old secure his presidential election victory.

Upon Trump officially taking office, the White House announced that Elon Musk would serve as a special government employee, overseeing the newly established Department of Government Efficiency.

Musk has since referred to himself as the “first buddy” of the US president. His influence during Donald Trump’s second presidency has led some to label him as the “actual president,” “shadow president,” or even “co-president”.

Hours after Elon Musk held a press conference at the Oval Office along with President Donald Trump in which he spoke more than Trump and his son little X showcased many of his antics, a video of what four-year-old X apparently whispered to Donald Trump went viral with analysis pouring in about what actually he said and to whom.

As Elon Musk started speaking, prompted by Donald Trump, briefing about the astounding findings of his Department of Government Efficiency, he was interrupted by X who was trying to repeat every word his father was saying.

Elon Musk paused and asked X not to do it with a laugh and then X turned his attention toward Donald Trump who was sitting in his chair and listening to Elon's statements. He was seen approaching the president and whispering something. Trump did not engage with him and then he was seen picking his nose and wiping it off the Resolute Desk.