In an unexpected turn of events, Elon Musk, accompanied by his son, made a guest appearance at President-elect Donald Trump’s victory rally, stirring speculations about his reportedly strained rapport with Vivek Ramaswamy, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
During the pre-inauguration rally held at the Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C., Trump welcomed the renowned entrepreneur of Tesla and SpaceX onto the stage, where, beaming broadly, he assured a lively audience that the forthcoming administration would initiate “significant changes” aimed at fortifying America “forever.”
Musk briefly addressed the crowd regarding his upcoming role as the leader of the “Department of Government Efficiency,” with his son, X AE A-XII—one of his twelve children—by his side.
“Little X just joined me onstage,” Musk proclaimed as his four-year-old son energetically jumped and waved his arms to the excited audience. “He’s a very enthusiastic supporter, as you can observe.”
“We’re eager to implement numerous changes,” Musk stated. “This victory is merely the beginning. What’s crucial moving ahead is to truly enact substantial changes, solidify those alterations, and lay the groundwork for America’s strength for… a century. For centuries. Forever,” Musk articulated, as the crowd cheered, while his son continued leaping joyfully just out of view. “And let’s make America great again!” he added following a brief pause.
The rally featured performances from musicians loyal to Trump, such as Kid Rock and the Village People, and included speeches from family members and supporters; however, notably absent were any nominees for Cabinet positions or Vice President-elect J.D. Vance.
“Anyway, we’re going to achieve remarkable things here. Thank you,” Musk concluded before Trump resumed the podium.
Following this, the president-elect spent several minutes extolling his wealthiest backer, who has become a regular at Mar-a-Lago since the November election, calling him a “genius” and commending his campaign efforts in Pennsylvania.
“You know, I often say we must protect our geniuses, as we don’t have many,” Trump remarked.
“We have him and Vivek,” Trump noted, directing attention to Ramaswamy and DOGE, “along with some outstanding individuals addressing a matter called costs. And he possesses the credibility to tackle it as well.”
Trump did not address the emerging rumors surrounding DOGE, including a CBS report suggesting that Ramaswamy might resign to pursue his ambitions for the Ohio governorship.
“Vivek has overstayed his welcome,” a source associated with Trumpworld stated, according to the report.
Trump also expressed his gratitude towards Musk for his campaign efforts in Pennsylvania, a vital swing state that Trump secured by approximately 120,000 votes, narrowly defeating his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. Musk’s October campaign tour of the Keystone State included a much-debated promise to distribute $1 million checks to registered voters.
“He dedicated around a month and a half to campaigning for me in Pennsylvania,” Trump shared at the rally on Sunday. “He’s very well-liked and quite effective. And he understands those computers better than anyone. All those computers used for counting votes, and we managed to win Pennsylvania, virtually with a landslide, so that was excellent.”
Trump also repeatedly commended the CEO of SpaceX for the company’s recent achievements in capturing booster rockets.
In October, SpaceX made headlines by successfully retrieving a booster rocket using enormous metal arms referred to as “chopsticks.” Just last Thursday, SpaceX successfully caught another booster rocket during a test flight—despite the Starship it launched dismantling mid-flight.
Regardless, Trump remained fascinated with the booster recovery. “Suddenly, those two massive arms came and hugged it, just as you might embrace your little child,” he remarked at the rally on Sunday. “And that sucker landed, and no one else has managed to do that but him.”
He also lauded little X, whom he described as both “adorable” and “a remarkable young man.”
“His son’s name is X,” Trump shared with the crowd of supporters. “He’s the only individual who could pull off the name X. But his son is truly a remarkable young man. One thing we know—his son is intelligent. If you subscribe to the racehorse theory, he has a wonderfully smart son.”
This isn’t the first occasion Trump has mentioned the “racehorse theory,” which correlates genetics and lineage to intelligence and other attributes.
In 2020, Trump referenced the theory while praising supporters in Minnesota for possessing “good genes.” During his 2024 campaign, he linked genetics to criminality, commenting to a conservative radio host that migrant criminals had “poor genes.”
