Elon Musk brings his children to work to make him seem “more personable” and to “divert attention,” according to public communications experts.
MAGA influencer Ashley St Clair claimed on Friday night that she had given birth to Musk’s 13th child secretly. “Five months ago, I welcomed a new baby into the world. Elon Musk is the father,” she wrote in an X post.
Her announcement comes as the Tesla CEO’s children have begun making frequent appearances alongside Musk since he was made lead of the newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency by Donald Trump. On Wednesday, Musk’s four-year-old son X Æ A-12, known as X, appeared to tell the president to “shut your mouth” as he joined his dad in the Oval Office.
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Musk has been seen regularly bringing his son, X, to work with him recently (Image: Getty Images)
The following day, X and two of his siblings exchanged gifts with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while Musk met with the leader to discuss technology innovation. It’s not the first time Musk has taking his children to work, he’s also taken his kids to a meeting with the president of Turkey, a memorial service at Auschwitz concentration camp, and a Time magazine ceremony.
Kurt Braddock, an American University professor of public communication, says there’s a reason why the SpaceX founder’s kids are often tagging along. “The inclusion of the kids in many public appearances is very much a politician move or a political move to make him seem a bit more personable (and) take a human approach to how the public views him,” he told the BBC.
Braddock suggests it’s part of a strategy that benefits both Musk and Trump (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
While X’s appearance in the Oval Office seemed unusual, as the boy quickly went viral for picking his nose in front of the president and reportedly telling him off in chaotic scenes, Braddock suggests it’s part of a strategy that benefits both Musk and Trump.
“I do think that there is a bit of a strategy here trying to draw attention to some things while diverting attention to other things,” he said. Explaining how it benefits Trump, Jon Haber, a strategic communication consultant who has worked with five presidential campaigns, said: “For Trump, the more chaos, the more he floods the zone, the less anybody can really focus on. Chaos works for him.”
X’s mother Grimes has slammed Musk for taking him to the Oval Office. “He should not be in public like this,” she wrote in a post on X. “I did not see this… but I’m glad he was polite. Sigh.”
X picked his nose in the Oval Office (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Musk became a father in 2002 when his ex-wife Justine Wilson welcomed their son Nevada Alexander, who tragically died at just 10 weeks old. The couple went on to have five more children, twins Vivian and Griffin and triplets Kai, Saxon and Damian.
Musk and Wilson divorced in 2008 and the tech billionaire went on to marry actress Talulah Riley twice, although they do not share any children. In 2020, Musk and Grimes announced the birth of X Æ A-12.
They also have two more children, a girl, Exa Dark Sideræl, and a boy, Techno Mechanicus. Just weeks before the birth of their second child, musk secretly fathered twins, Strider and Azure, with Shivon Zilis, an executive at one of his companies.
MAGA influencer Ashley St Clair claims she has secretly given birth to Elon Musk’s 13th child (Image: Instagram/realashleystclair)
Ashley St Clair, known for her far-right affiliations and controversial opinions, said she had not been planning to reveal that she’d had a child with Musk in her Valentine’s Day post. “I have not previously disclosed this to protect our child’s privacy and safety, but in recent days it has become clear that tabloid media intends to do so, regardless of the harm it will cause,” she said.
She added: “I intend to allow our child to grow in a normal and safe environment. For that reason, I ask that the media honor our child’s privacy, and refrain from invasive reporting.”
