The black eye Elon Musk sported could be seen as a metaphor for the political beating he's taken since Jan. 20.

At a celebratory rally after Trump’s inauguration, Musk’s White House career got off to a contentious start when he seemingly offered a straight-arm salute at the Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C., as he excitedly told the crowd: “My heart goes out to you.”

Musk spearheaded DOGE for Trump and faced fierce backlash over his efforts to dramatically shrink the federal government.