‘That might explain the black eye’: Did Elon Musk get beaten up by Scott Bessent? Social media reacts

Internet had a field day after reports claimed that Elon Musk was involved in a physical altercation with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent inside the White House, leading to a storm of memes and speculation, with many wondering if that’s how the billionaire ended up with a black eye.

According to the New York Post, the clash happened in mid-April when both men presented competing plans for the Internal Revenue Service to US President Donald Trump. The Washington Post quoted former White House adviser Steve Bannon as saying the president ultimately backed Bessent’s proposal, sparking tension.The situation escalated after the meeting. Bannon told the Washington Post that Musk and Bessent left the room hurling insults near the Oval Office.

“Scott said, ‘You’re a fraud. You’re a total fraud,” Bannon recalled, referencing Musk’s aggressive push to cut $1 trillion in government spending as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).Things then allegedly turned physical. “The verbal spat turned allegedly physical when the tech billionaire rammed his shoulder into Bessent’s rib cage ‘like a rugby player,’ prompting the treasury chief to fight back,” the paper said Bannon claimed.

Bannon added, “It took multiple people to break up the playground tussle,” and said Musk was quickly removed from the West Wing. “President Trump heard about it and said, ‘This is too much.’”As the story gained traction, users across platforms shared their reactions. One person commented, “That might explain the black eye,” while others joked about the bizarre image of two powerful men fighting in the White House like schoolboys.Scott Bessent is openly gay and has been married to former New York City prosecutor John Freeman since 2011. As reports of the altercation emerged during Pride Month in June, social media had a field day imagining the world’s richest man getting beaten up by a gay banker.Here are some of the social media reactions:

Steve Bannon has also called for a federal probe into Musk’s immigration status, saying he should be deported “immediately.” Reports say Musk, who is originally from South Africa, is now a US citizen.