Elon Musk's 'Inappropriate' Outfit to the White House Sparks Public Outrage

The billionaire's choice of attire at a high-profile White House meeting has ignited a heated debate online, with online users calling it disrespectful and unprofessional.

During President Donald Trump's first cabinet meeting for his second term on February 26, 2025, at the White House, Tesla CEO and newly appointed leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk, became a hot topic—not for policy discussions, but for his outfit.

Wearing a T-shirt with the words "Tech Support" and a cap, Musk's casual look sharply contrasted with the formal attire of other attendees. His appearance at the Cabinet Room in Washington, DC, has led to widespread criticism and debate about professionalism in government settings.

Many netizens took to social media to criticize his outfit. One wrote, "Stop. Wearing. A. Hat. Inside. The. White. House." Another user added, "His clothing choices are disrespectful. I can't even listen to this guy."

A different commenter simply stated, "Hat & T-shirt." Someone else remarked, "With all the money he has you would think he had something more decent to wear [sic]." Another person argued, "He running the show so he can dress anyway he wants [sic]."

One frustrated user questioned, "Where your manners? Take your CAP off [sic]!!!" A critic exclaimed, "Really! Unbelievable! You wear a T shirt with wording in a cabinet meeting. They should have sent him home for inappropriate outfit [sic]."

Another speculated, "I am sure he gets paid big time to wear that t-shirt." One final remark insisted, "He needs to dress appropriately. Take off that cap."

Whether or not his outfit was a statement or just another example of Elon Musk's casual demeanor, the debate over professionalism in politics continues.

But attire aside, the billionaire recently faced criticism on a much more personal matter. On February 20, 2025, in now-deleted tweets on X, Musk's ex-partner, Grimes, accused him of ignoring her phone calls amid a "medical crisis."

The "Genesis" singer reportedly wrote, "I am sorry to do this publicly but it is no longer acceptable to ignore this situation. This requires immediate attention. If you don't want to talk to me can you please designate or hire someone who can do that [so] we can move forward on solving this. This is urgent, Elon."

She further explained, "I'm not giving any details but he won't respond to texts calls or emails and has skipped every meeting and our child will suffer life long impairment if he doesn't respond asap, so I need him to [expletive] respond and if I have to apply public pressure then I guess that's where we are at. [sic]"

Grimes, a Canadian musician whose real name is Claire Boucher, did not specify which of her children was in need. The 36-year-old and Musk share two sons, X Æ A-Xii, four, and Techno Mechanicus, two, as well as a daughter, Exa Dark Sideræl, three.

The 53-year-old SpaceX Chief Executive Officer (CEO) did not respond to her now-deleted plea. Since then, Grimes has shared several posts on X. Some X users were confused when they were unable to see her previous posts and suspected that her account was shadowbanned.

Others were puzzled by the absence of her comments on the platform, which is owned by Musk. The following day, Grimes explained that she was deleting her posts "because if they're being shadow banned and not eliciting a response then all it is is a media circus at the expense of the kids."

This isn't the first time that the vocalist and businessman, who dated from 2018 to 2022, have clashed. On February 11, 2025, Musk brought X Æ A-Xii with him to the Oval Office, where they joined President Trump for a media briefing to discuss the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

For the press briefing, Musk wore a long black coat over a dark outfit, accessorizing with a matching "Make America Great Again" cap. X Æ A-Xii was dressed in a beige overcoat with a navy blue ensemble underneath and wore a gold chain as he stood confidently beside his father.

The young boy appeared to entertain both Musk and Trump, who was seated at the Resolute Desk in a dark suit and blue tie. An X user who reacted to Musk's son's presence at the event wrote, "Lil X was very polite today! You raised him well. He was so cute when he told DJT 'please [sic] forgive me, I need to pee.'🥰."

The boy's mother saw the post and revealed she wasn't aware that her ex would be making a public appearance with their child. She responded by writing a now widely discussed message on X about it.

Grimes said, "He should not be in public like this. I did not see this, thank u [sic] for alerting me. But I'm glad he was polite. Sigh."

When other social media users saw her post, they quickly shared their thoughts.

One supporter wrote, "No, he shouldn't be. You need to get tough, girl. He's your baby, not Elon's pet," while another noted, "Every time I see him, I wish he was with you, and his siblings. He has a great spirit. But I am worried for his influences and safety."

Someone else remarked, "Is there anything you can do? It is quite disturbing that he uses X in that way. Trump seems to be getting annoyed too, not good for the kid to be in the middle of all this chaos."

More people sided with Grimes as another netizen declared, "She's right!" Taking to Facebook, someone reiterated, "She's absolutely right, he's a child, not a prop!!" Sharing the same sentiments, a commenter stated, "I'm actually with her on this one lol."

Praising Grimes' efforts to protect her child's privacy, a supporter commended, "Yes mommy, take control of your baby!" At the same time, an unsurprised social media user shared, "Was expecting something like this!" Someone else defended the artist, writing, "She's protecting her child. The child doesn't need to be made a part of the spectacle that's going on!"

Grimes has been keeping her distance from Musk ever since they broke up. She and the Tesla CEO welcomed X in 2020, with the billionaire sharing a photo of himself holding the newborn wrapped in a hospital blanket.