Elon Musk and his family have been scrutinized after photos showed him traveling with his mother and son on Air Force One, the aircraft typically designated for transporting the president of the U.S.
Newsweek has contacted the press offices of Tesla and SpaceX via email for comment from Musk.
Why It Matters
The images have led to numerous critics of President Donald Trump and Musk complaining that this is “government waste” at a time of mass Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts.
It also comes at a time when Musk’s power in the White House has provoked concern, with some worrying he holds more influence over American policy than the president himself.
Elon Musk, front left, holds hands with his son, X Æ A-12, as he walks with his mother, Maye Musk, top left, down the stairs of Air Force One upon President Donald Trump’s arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Sunday, March 2, 2025.
Luis M. Alvarez/AP
What To Know
On Sunday evening, Musk’s mother Maye and his son, X Æ A-12, traveled with him on Air Force One, as photos show the family waving at the cameras as they exit the aircraft, images which have sparked significant criticism online.
The plane landed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland; a base near Washington D.C. where the Presidential Airlift Group, the aircraft that transport the president of the U.S., is located, according to base website basedirectory.com.
A caption on an Associated Press photo showing Musk and his family departing the aircraft refers to it happening “upon President Donald Trump’s arrival at Joint Base Andrews” in Maryland.
More photos taken by the AP showed Trump stepping off Marine One, another aircraft dedicated for presidential travel, which landed on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday night. Musk, his mother and his son can be seen in the helicopter as the president exits.
There are also photos of Musk and his son entering the White House, with some on social media saying that the Tesla head and his family were chauffeured to the White House and that they were staying there.
Elon Musk carries his son X Æ A-Xii as he walks across the Colonnade of the White House after arriving with President Donald Trump on Marine One, on Sunday, March 2, 2025, in Washington D.C.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
What People Are Saying
Chris D. Jackson, a political strategist and former elected official who has more than 115,800 followers on X, wrote in a post: “This is beyond outrageous. Elon Musk, his cranky mother Maye, and one of his young kids were chauffeured in Air Force One and Marine One—straight to the White House, where they’re apparently staying. WTF is going on? It goes without saying, this is not normal.”
Marty Taylor, who has more than 24,000 followers on X and is the executive director of NewBlue USA, a PAC that says it “fights to protect American democracy,” wrote in a post on X: “This is outrageous and possibly illegal. No matter how much Donald Trump and scared complicit Republicans want Elon Musk to be president he is not and Air Force One should not be used for Musk and his family. Musk owns a fleet of jets. Let him pay for his own travel and lodging. And keep his a** out of our White House.”
@ProjectLincoln, the account of The Lincoln Project, a pro-democracy organization in America that has more than 2.8 million followers on X, wrote : “Your tax dollars are paying for the richest man in the world to fly around when he has his own jets. That’s government waste.”
Others on social media, however, saw no cause for concern and did not find a senior adviser traveling on Air Force One to be unusual.
ResethO, who has more than 16,000 followers on the platform, wrote on X: “They’re working, while being green and flying together. There is nothing strange about a president flying with an adviser.”
What’s Next
The Trump administration will likely come under the spotlight over its own spending as the DOGE makes huge cuts to federal agencies.
