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Elon Musk’s Daughter Vivian Wilson Criticizes Father’s Political Stance in Online Interview
Vivian Wilson, the transgender daughter of Elon Musk, has publicly criticized her father’s political views in a recent interview. In a lengthy online discussion, Wilson asserted that the Tesla CEO‘s public image as a liberal figure was a misrepresentation and that his true ideology has long leaned to the right-wing. These remarks come amidst ongoing estrangement between Wilson and her billionaire father.
Claims of Misrepresented Political Identity
During a 90-minute conversation on YouTube with influencer Hasan Piker, Vivian Wilson, 20, stated that her father, Elon Musk, never genuinely held the left-wing beliefs he once portrayed. She refuted the notion that his shift to right-leaning politics was influenced by her gender transition.
“People attribute it to me,” Wilson told Piker, 33, regarding the change in the SpaceX founder’s political opinions. “I cannot claim responsibility for that, sadly.”
“Marketing Scheme” Allegation
Piker recalled a time when Musk, 53, was seen as a “liberal darling,” championing environmental causes through electric vehicles. However, Wilson disputed this perception.
“[Elon Musk] was never a liberal darling,” Wilson contended.
She further asserted, “I know him intimately, he was never on the left. It was a marketing scheme,” labeling his electric car and clean energy business as a “Ponzi scheme.”
Timeline of Perceived Ideological Shift
Vivian suggested her father’s rightward shift began “at least as far back as 2016,” maintaining that she does not believe he ever genuinely identified with left-wing politics.
“People assume our lives are like fiction and [my transition] serves as some dramatic plot point. This isn’t a story. I am not the cause,” she declared, dismissing speculation linking her transition to Musk’s political evolution.
COVID-19 Pandemic as a Turning Point
The media personality from Teen Vogue indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted Musk’s current ideology. She highlighted his vocal opposition to COVID protocols and vaccinations.
“One of our last personal exchanges involved a disagreement about mask usage,” Vivian recounted. “He sent me a GIF depicting a sheep, accompanied by the text, ‘Stop being sheeple.’ It was embarrassing.”
Estrangement and Name Change
According to reports, representatives for Musk have been contacted for comment but have not yet responded.
Musk and his former wife, Justine Wilson, had twins, Griffin and Vivian, in April 2004 through in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Vivian, originally named Xavier, publicly came out as transgender in June 2022. She legally requested to change her first name and adopt her mother’s surname.
The court filing cited “gender identity and the desire to sever ties with my biological father in every possible way” as reasons for the name change.
Musk’s Account of Gender Reassignment
Two years following Vivian’s name change, Musk claimed he was “essentially misled into signing documents” that facilitated Vivian’s gender reassignment.
“This occurred before I fully understood the situation. The COVID period was marked by considerable uncertainty, and I was informed Xavier might commit suicide if the transition didn’t proceed,” he told psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson in a Daily Wire interview in July 2024.
Musk, who is a father to multiple children, has previously attributed Vivian’s views to what he describes as the “woke-mind virus.”