Elon Musk and Gavin Newsom clashed on social media after the California Governor's office said that the billionaire's estranged transgender daughter "hates" him. The jab sparked a heated back-and-forth between Newsom and Musk, who accused the governor of weaponising a personal matter for political gain and affirmed that he loved his "son".
The exchange started after America PAC, a political committee run by Musk, posted a clip of Newsom's recent conversation with the New York Times. In it, Newsom defended his record on LGBTQ rights, saying, "I want to see trans kids. I have a trans godson. No governor's done more pro trans legislation than I have.”
The governor's press office, reacting to the video, which faced criticism, fired a sharp reply, "Correct. We're sorry your daughter hates you, Elon."
The reference was to Musk's transgender daughter Vivian Wilson, who previously went by Xavier. In 2022, Wilson, one of Musk's six children he had with his first wife, Justine, filed a petition to change her gender and name. The aspiring model also dropped her surname Musk.
On several occasions, she has publicly spoken out against Musk and his anti-trans positions. The Tesla CEO has previously claimed that Wilson was "killed by the woke mind virus".
The jab by the governor's office drew Musk into the fray. He pushed back by accusing Newsom of promoting what he calls the "woke mind virus".
"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. "I love Xavier very much and hope he recovers."
He added that his other children "do indeed love me very much".
The dust-up offered a revealing look at Newsom's increasingly aggressive online playbook. His team has adopted a combat-ready style in recent months, leaning into memes, all-caps posts and Trump-like taunts aimed at maximising attention and driving engagement. Musk, one of the most influential figures on the platform he owns, remains both a foil and a frequent target.
Musk's daughter legally cut ties with him in 2022, saying she no longer wished to be related to her biological father in any way.
This is not the first time the governor and the billionaire have clashed. Newsom's 2024 signing of a law barring schools from outing transgender students to parents prompted Musk to move the headquarters of SpaceX and X from California to Texas, calling the measure "the final straw".
