Elon Musk Says 'I Am Become Meme' After Source Said 'He’d Rather Tweet Memes' Than Parent

Elon Musk is leaning into being a meme amid his controversial behavior in and out of the White House.

The 53-year-old billionaire — who is also the head of President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — made an appearance during the first day of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Feb. 20, where he proclaimed himself a meme and wielded a chainsaw. 

Wearing a T-shirt with the phrase, "I’m not procrastinating, I’m doing side quests," Musk was presented with a "chainsaw for bureaucracy" by Argentinian President Javier Milei.

Then, while being interviewed by Newsmax host Rob Schmitt, he proclaimed, "I am become meme [sic]," NBC News and The Daily Beast reported.

"Yeah, pretty much," he continued after the audience laughed. "There's living the dream, and there's living the meme. And it's pretty much what's happening, ya know?"

Per The Daily Beast, Musk added, "My mind is a storm." NBC News noted that he also referred to DOGE's work in Washington, D.C. as "fighting the Matrix." 

Musk's comments came amid ongoing issues involving his ex-partner, Grimes. 

On Thursday afternoon, Grimes — who shares three children with Musk — requested on X (in now-deleted posts) that he "respond about our child's medical crisis."

The two are parents to X Æ A-Xii, 4, Exa Dark Sideræl, 3, and Techno Mechanicus, 2, but it was unclear which child she was referring to or what the medical crisis entailed. 

While the world's richest person has not publicly responded to Grimes' plea, a source told PEOPLE he's more interested in engaging with the internet than focusing on parenting.

"Instead of being present in his children’s lives, he’d rather tweet memes," they said. (Reps for Musk did not return PEOPLE's request for comment.) 

Grimes' public plea follows comments she made after Musk took X Æ A-Xii to the Oval Office during a media appearance with Trump on Feb. 11.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"He should not be in public like this," she wrote on X at the time. "I did not see this, thank u for alerting me. But I'm glad he was polite. Sigh."

Musk's CPAC appearance also comes about a week after author Ashley St. Clair said that five months ago she welcomed a child with him, marking the Tesla founder's 13th overall.

In a now-deleted X post on Feb. 15, St. Clair wrote that he had “not responded” to her or her team despite what she called days of attempted communication.