Conservative influencer seeks paternity declaration, sole custody of baby she says is Musk's

It was roughly a week ago that the political and tech spheres were consumed with headlines that DOGE leader Elon Musk had been accused of fathering a child with a well-known conservative influencer.

The situation has since escalated into a petition from the baby's mother, Ashley St. Clair, for full custody and the establishment of Musk's paternity, a process which has already revealed a fascinating series of what were likely presumed to have been private messages between the two, as the Daily Mail.

Shock baby announcement emerges

On Valentine's Day, in a post on Musk's own X platform, St. Clair, a self-styled conservative media influencer, revealed to the world that she had given birth to a son the previous September, identifying the Telsa billionaire as the child's father.

“Five months ago, I welcomed a new baby into the world. Elon Musk is the father,” St. Clair wrote.

Her post went on, “I have not previously disclosed this to protect our child's privacy and safety, but in recent days it has become clear that tabloid media intends to do so, regardless of the harm it will cause. I intend to allow our child to grow in a normal and safe environment. For that reason, I ask that the media honor our child's privacy, and refrain from invasive reporting.”

From there, St. Clair's dealings with Musk appeared to deteriorate, as she later wrote in a now-deleted X post that she and her representatives had been “trying to communicate for the past several days” in order to complete a parenting agreement, only to be met with silence from the world-renowned entrepreneur.

That particular revelation seemed to be a response to an X post from Musk reacting to an account that shared a purported screenshot in which St. Clair joked about hoping to lure him into a relationship, with the DOGE chief writing, simply, “Whoa.”

Full custody sought

Things took another fascinating turn on Friday, as St. Clair filed a petition in court seeking recognition of Musk as the baby's father and asking that she be awarded sole custody of the child, as Fox News reported.

Accompanying the petition were a series of exhibits that included a photo of Musk holding the baby and a series of screenshotted messages he exchanged with St. Clair which seemingly supported her claim of paternity.

In one such exchange, Musk outlined the serious security concerns with which he contends, a dilemma he said necessitated St. Clair's discretion in relation to the baby born the previous autumn.

“I get credible death threats every day. I'm #2 after Trump for assassination. Wake up. This is not the time for sentiment at the expense of safety. If I make a mistake on security, [the baby] will never know his father,” Musk wrote.

What comes next?

In support of her request for custody, St. Clair told the court that Musk has not seen his new son since a 30-minute visit in November, has never sought additional contact, and has never requested photos or updates on his development.

Amid new accusations from conservative influencer Isabella Moody and journalist Laura Loomer that St. Clair had embarked on a clandestine, years'-long campaign to seduce Musk and ultimately have his baby, the battle between the young child's parents seems poised to yield all sorts of unsavory details that reflect poorly on just about everyone involved.