A political skirmish between California’s governor and the world’s richest man escalated this week into a deeply personal clash, pulling family tensions into the public square.
According to Fox News, Elon Musk and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office traded sharp words online after Musk-linked America PAC resurfaced comments Newsom made about transgender issues during an appearance on “The Ezra Klein Show.”
In the clip reposted by America PAC, Newsom said, “There’s no governor that’s done more pro-trans legislation than I have.” The remark came as Newsom discussed his position on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, an issue where he has recently diverged from many Democrats.
Newsom stirred further attention earlier this year during the launch of his podcast, “This Is Gavin Newsom,” while interviewing Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk.
During that conversation, Newsom described allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports as “deeply unfair.”
The reposted Klein interview prompted a blunt response from the governor’s press office, which directed its criticism squarely at Musk and referenced his transgender child, Vivian Jenna Wilson.
“Correct. We’re sorry your daughter hates you, Elon,” the press office wrote on X, the social media platform owned by Musk.
Musk fired back quickly and forcefully, rejecting the characterization and doubling down on past statements about his child.
“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. I love Xavier very much and hope he recovers,” Musk wrote. “My daughters are Azure, Exa (she goes by Y) and Arcadia, and they do indeed love me very much.”
Musk later pinned a separate post to his profile that read, “If you have a womb, you are a woman. Otherwise, you are not.”
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has previously spoken at length about the issue. During a 2024 interview with Dr. Jordan Peterson, Musk said he was “essentially tricked” into consenting to puberty blockers for Wilson.
“It happened to one of my older boys, where I was essentially tricked into signing documents for one of my older boys, Xavier.
This is before I had any understanding of what was going on. COVID was going on, so there was a lot of confusion, and I was told Xavier might commit suicide if he doesn’t,” Musk told Peterson.
Musk also addressed the concept of “deadnaming,” expressing profound grief over the situation.
“I lost my son, essentially. They call it deadnaming for a reason,” Musk said. “The reason it’s called ‘deadnaming’ is because your son is dead. So, my son Xavier is dead, killed by the woke mind virus.”
Musk added that after the experience, he “vowed to destroy the woke mind virus.”
