Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has escalated a public spat with California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office, centering on his transgender daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, and his claims about her mental health. The controversy ignited after Musk’s America PAC reposted a clip of Newsom on “The Ezra Klein Show,” where the governor claimed, “There’s no governor that’s done more pro-trans legislation than I have.” Newsom made the comment while discussing his nuanced stance on transgender athletes, an issue where he recently broke from some prominent Democrats by calling it “deeply unfair” to have them compete in women’s sports during an interview on his own podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom.”
The governor’s press office responded directly to America PAC’s commentary on the clip via X, the platform owned by Musk. The office took a direct jab at the billionaire, writing, “Correct. We’re sorry your daughter hates you, Elon.” This direct attack prompted a swift and “blistering” public reply from the SpaceX CEO. Musk doubled down on his refusal to acknowledge Wilson as his daughter.
“I assume you’re referring to my son, Xavier, who has a tragic mental illness caused by the evil woke mind virus you push on vulnerable children,” Musk wrote in his reply. “I love Xavier very much and hope he recovers. My daughters are Azure, Exa (she goes by Y) and Arcadia, and they do indeed love me very much.” Following this exchange, the X owner pinned a post to his profile making a definitive statement on gender: “If you have a womb, you are a woman. Otherwise, you are not.”
Musk’s comments are consistent with prior public statements he has made regarding his now-adult child. In a 2024 interview with Dr. Jordan Peterson, the Tesla CEO opened up about his feelings regarding minors receiving gender surgery. He claimed he was “essentially tricked” into providing consent for Wilson to start puberty blockers.
“It happened to one of my older boys, where I was essentially tricked into signing documents for one of my older boys, Xavier,” Musk told Peterson. He added that the incident occurred before he had “any understanding of what was going on” during the period of COVID-related confusion. He claims he was told at the time that Xavier “might commit suicide if he doesn’t” receive the treatment.
In the same interview, Musk further elaborated on the concept of “deadnaming,” the act of referring to a transgender person by their name at birth. “I lost my son, essentially,” he stated. “They call it deadnaming for a reason. The reason it’s called ‘deadnaming’ is because your son is dead. So, my son Xavier is dead, killed by the woke mind virus.” Following this, Musk vowed that he would “destroy the woke mind virus.”