Elon Musk says his transgender child was figuratively 'killed by the ...

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his estranged transgender daughter was “killed” after she received gender-affirming care, which caused him to vow to “destroy the woke mind virus.”

Musk made the comments during an interview with psychologist and conservative commentator Jordan Peterson broadcast Monday afternoon. Musk, who leads several companies including X, called gender-reassignment surgery “child mutilation and sterilization.” Musk said his daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, received gender-affirming care during the pandemic and came out as trans when she was 16.

“I was essentially tricked into signing documents for one of my older boys,” Musk said, referring to Wilson, who no longer goes by her father’s last name. “This was really before I had any understanding of what was going on, and we had COVID going on, so there was a lot of confusion and I was told (Musk’s child) might commit suicide.”

Musk went on to say that the process is done to children “who are far below the age of consent” and that he agrees with Peterson that “it’s incredibly evil” and that anyone promoting it should be imprisoned. Musk, who has 12 kids and has repeatedly spoken about fertility and underpopulation, also claimed it was never explained to him that puberty blockers were “actually just sterilization drugs.” Puberty blockers on their own do not affect fertility.

“I was tricked into doing this,” Musk said. “I lost my son, essentially. They call it ‘deadnaming’ for a reason. The reason they call it ‘deadnaming’ is because your son is dead.”

Musk’s public comments come about a week after he announced that X and SpaceX would join Tesla and move to Texas because of California’s AB1955, or the SAFETY Act. The legislation bans schools from implementing rules that require parents be notified if their child identifies as transgender and requires the State Department to provide resources to support LGBTQ+ identifying children. In the past, Musk has been repeatedly accused of engaging in transphobia or promoting anti-trans messaging.

Musk’s daughter in 2022 applied for a name change and a new birth certificate, saying in court documents that she no longer wants to “be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form.” Musk has blamed his lack of a relationship with his daughter on her progressive school in Los Angeles, according to Walter Isaacson’s biography. Isaacson wrote that his estranged relationship with Wilson is behind Musk’s “anti-woke sentiments.”

In recent years, Musk — once known for his center-left politics — has leaned increasingly into right-wing talking points on everything from diversity initiatives to election fraud and immigration. Earlier this month, he endorsed the Republican party’s presidential ticket of former president Donald Trump and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, who are both proponents of the oil industry and against clean energy.