Elon Musk is back in the spotlight—not for a new Tesla prototype or space launch—but for reopening a months-old mystery that never quite went away: the black eye he showed up with on his last day working with the Trump administration.
The tech mogul and former White House special employee stirred the pot again with a three-letter post on X (formerly Twitter): “Hmm,” he wrote, alongside a link to a Politico report detailing an alleged physical confrontation between Trump Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and another top administration official.
Not exactly subtle.
The timing and context of the post didn’t go unnoticed. Musk’s cryptic “Hmm” sent social media into overdrive, reigniting speculation over how he really got that black eye back in May—an injury that, at the time, Musk casually dismissed as the result of “horsing around” with one of his kids.
But that explanation has long been undercut by more explosive reporting. According to several outlets and confirmed by the White House at the time, Musk and Bessent had a heated “screaming match” that escalated into a physical altercation. Bessent was said to be furious over internal policy disputes—and according to former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, it was Musk who initiated the physical contact.
Bannon claimed, citing his own White House sources, that Musk shoved Bessent during an argument. That shove apparently led to Bessent punching Musk in the face.
The black eye. The denials. Now, months later, the cryptic post.
The reaction was swift.
“Did he hit you?” far-right influencer and self-described “proud Islamaphobe” Laura Loomer wrote in response. “We are all dying to know.”
Musk didn’t reply. But others on X demanded answers.
“Come on Elon, spill it,” wrote MAGA-aligned user Wendy Patterson, who boasts over 200,000 followers. “What was your argument with him over?”
Then came the fanboys.
“So this guy that pretends to have emotional control in interviews actually punched you in the face?” wrote Mat Gagnon, co-founder of solar tech firm Sentinus. “You took it like a man Elon Musk, much respect.”
To date, Musk has refused to elaborate on the altercation or his injury, sticking to his original story. But this latest post—dropping a link to the very story that echoes his own alleged showdown—has reopened the wound in full public view.
