Newsom Administration Mocks Musk Over Estranged Child in Escalating Public Feud

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office crossed a disturbing line this week, publicly attacking Elon Musk by referencing his estranged child in what can only be described as a grotesque attempt at political point-scoring.

The incident began when Newsom appeared in an interview with Ezra Klein, proudly declaring his commitment to transgender youth. “I want to see trans kids. I have a trans godson,” Newsom stated, before boasting, “There’s no governor that’s done more pro trans legislation than I have.”

The clip gained traction after the America PAC account posted it to X. Rather than engaging with the substance of criticism surrounding his policies, the official Newsom Press Office account responded with a personal attack: “Correct. We’re sorry your daughter hates you, Elon.”

Let us be clear about what happened here. A state government office, operating under the authority of California’s highest elected official, weaponized a father’s personal family tragedy for political gain. This is not normal political discourse. This is not acceptable behavior from any government entity, let alone one representing the nation’s most populous state.

Musk responded directly to the attack, clarifying the facts while expressing his ongoing concern for 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,” Musk wrote. “I love Xavier very much and hope he recovers.”

The context surrounding Musk’s relationship with his son Xavier, who now identifies as female, is well-documented. In a conversation with Dr. Jordan Peterson in July 2024, Musk described being “tricked into” allowing his son to undergo gender procedures during the confusion of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was told Xavier might commit suicide,” Musk explained in that interview. “It wasn’t explained to me that puberty blockers are actually just sterilization drugs. I lost my son, essentially. They call it ‘deadnaming’ for a reason. The reason they call it ‘deadnaming’ is because your son is dead, so my son, Xavier, is dead, killed by the woke mind virus.”

Musk characterized the procedures euphemistically termed “gender-affirming care” as what they actually are: “child mutilation and sterilization.” He argued that adults are manipulating children experiencing identity crises into believing they are the wrong gender, taking advantage of minors who are “far below the age of consent.”

The facts here are straightforward. Newsom’s office did not engage with policy arguments about the wisdom of performing irreversible medical procedures on minors. Instead, they chose to mock a father’s pain over losing his relationship with his child to an ideology that Newsom himself champions.

This represents the logical endpoint of progressive gender ideology when confronted with dissent. Rather than defend the practice of administering puberty blockers to children or performing surgeries on minors, proponents of these policies resort to personal attacks. They cannot win the argument on the merits, so they attack the messenger.

The question Newsom refuses to answer is simple: Why should children who cannot consent to contracts, vote, drink alcohol, or get tattoos be permitted to make irreversible decisions about their bodies based on feelings that may change? Why should parents who express concern about these procedures be vilified rather than heard?

Newsom’s press office owes Musk an apology. More importantly, California’s citizens deserve leadership that engages in substantive policy debate rather than cruel personal attacks.