Elon Musk’s daughter has branded him as “delusional” and has condemned his work in the Trump administration as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
In an interview with Teen Vogue, Vivian Jenna Wilson said her father was “desperate for attention and validation.”
Newsweek reached out to Musk through X’s press office for comment.
Why It Matters
Musk and Wilson are estranged. After Wilson transitioned as a teenager, Musk said in an interview with political commentator Jordan Peterson that she was “killed by the woke mind virus.” The Tesla CEO has taken a critical stance on transgender rights, saying that parents are being manipulated into agreeing to gender transitions.
Musk, the world’s wealthiest man, has become prominent in politics as a top ally to President Donald Trump. The SpaceX founder is now an adviser to the president and heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which aims to cut down on what the administration views as wasteful spending in the federal government.
What To Know
Speaking to Teen Vogue in an interview published on March 20, Wilson condemned the Trump administration as “cartoonishly evil,” describing Musk as “a pathetic man-child.”
“Every time I open my phone to read the news, I kind of just stare at the wall for 10 minutes,” Wilson said. “It’s horrifying what they’re doing, not only to the trans community, but also to migrants, to communities of color, to so many marginalized communities that are being systematically targeted by the new administration and having protections revoked. It’s cartoonishly evil.”
She said of her father: “I don’t give a f*** about him. I really don’t. It’s annoying that people associate me with him. I just don’t have any room to care anymore.”
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Wilson also gave her thoughts on a gesture Musk made at an event during Trump’s inauguration, which some compared to a Nazi salute.
“The Nazi salute s*** was insane,” she said. “Honey, we’re going to call a fig a fig, and we’re going to call a Nazi salute what it was. That s*** was definitely a Nazi salute. The crowd is equally to blame, and I feel like people are not talking about that. That crowd should be denounced.”
Wilson also spoke about her siblings, telling the magazine, “I do not actually know how many siblings I have if you include half-siblings.”
Musk has had 14 acknowledged children with four women since 2002. Wilson’s mother is Justine Wilson, Musk’s first wife.
“That’s just a fun fact,” she said. “It’s really good for two truths and a lie. I found out about the Shivon Zilis thing the same time everyone else did. I had no idea before that.”
What People Are Saying
Elon Musk told Jordan Peterson in July 2024 of Wilson’s transition: “They call it deadnaming for a reason. The reason that it’s called dead naming is because your son is dead. So my son Xavier is dead, killed by the woke mind virus. So I vowed to destroy the woke mind virus.”
What Happens Next
Musk has not yet responded to Wilson’s remarks.
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