The billionaire responded with a single word to allegations that Ashley St. Clair spent five years trying to "ensnare" him

Elon Musk has responded to claims that he fathered a child with conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair, reacting with a single "Whoa" after a social media post alleged she had spent five years plotting to have his baby.

On Friday, St. Clair announced on X that she had given birth to a son five months earlier, identifying Musk as the alleged father. She said she had kept the birth private for the child's safety but decided to go public after sensing tabloids were about to break the story.

In an interview with the New York Post on Saturday, St. Clair described Musk as "funny" and "down to earth," saying their relationship began when he contacted her via direct message on X. She claimed she was told to remain silent about the pregnancy.

"I was told to keep it secret. I was being asked to keep it a secret forever," she told the outlet. The report stated that text messages between St. Clair and Jared Birchall, Musk's money manager, suggested she had complied with a request to leave Musk's name off the birth certificate.

"I was completely isolated during my pregnancy. Every part of my career and everything I used to do - I couldn't do anymore. I was told not to tell anybody," she added.

The situation escalated when Milo Yiannopoulos, a self-described "civil rights icon," claimed St. Clair "plotted for HALF A DECADE to ensnare Elon Musk." Musk responded with a brief "Whoa," marking his first public reaction to the controversy.

Following Musk's reaction, St. Clair accused him, in a now-deleted post, of amplifying "smears" instead of addressing the matter privately. She said they had been working on a co-parenting agreement but felt forced to go public due to harassment from his supporters.

"Ashley & Elon have been privately working towards the creation of an agreement about raising their child for some time," her representative, Brian Glicklich, said in a statement on X on Saturday. "We are waiting for Elon to publicly acknowledge his parental role with Ashley, to end unwarranted speculation, and Ashley trusts that Elon intends to finalize their agreement quickly, in the best interests of the well-being and security of the child they share."

The billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who has 12 other known children from previous relationships, has not issued further comments on the matter. However, on the same day, Musk responded with an emoji of a smiling face with hearts to a photo of his children shared by Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis.