Tech billionaire and current U.S. government official Elon Musk has drawn criticism and attention following a comment addressing the growing number of Americans identifying as transgender.
Musk, who serves as head of the Department of Government Efficiency under President Donald Trump’s administration, made the remarks in response to newly released data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The statistics, shared by author John LeFerre on social media platform X, indicate a consistent increase in transgender identification, particularly among individuals born between 1990 and 2005.
In his response, Musk wrote: “Woke mind virus in action. Now, it is time for the mind virus to die.”
The comment aligns with Musk’s ongoing critiques of what he often labels “woke ideology.” It also comes amid a broader shift in federal policy under Trump’s second term, which has seen more conservative approaches to gender-related issues.
Earlier this year, President Trump signed an executive order prohibiting biological males from competing in women’s sports — a move that has sparked both widespread support and strong opposition nationwide.
Musk’s statement also comes in the wake of a major legal development in the United Kingdom, where the Supreme Court recently ruled that the legal definition of “woman” in the context of the country’s equality legislation refers exclusively to biological sex. The decision has prompted demonstrations from transgender rights advocates across the UK.
As debates around gender identity continue to unfold both in the U.S. and internationally, Musk’s comments have once again placed him at the center of a highly polarized cultural and political conversation.
