Elon Musk‘s estranged daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, has made the decision to leave the United States following President-elect Donald Trump’s historic re-election victory. In a statement shared publicly, Wilson revealed her growing concerns about the political climate in the country, particularly under Trump’s leadership, which she believes does not align with her values and vision for the future.
The 20-year-old, who severed all ties with her billionaire father, Elon Musk, in 2022, expressed her frustration with Trump’s policies and their potential long-term effects. She specifically mentioned the adverse impact she believes these policies could have on the LGBTQ+ community, an issue she has been outspoken about in the past. Wilson’s desire to seek a more supportive and progressive environment elsewhere reflects a broader sentiment among some groups in the United States who are dissatisfied with the current political trajectory under Trump’s administration.
In her statement, Wilson confirmed that her decision to leave the U.S. was solidified after Trump’s re-election victory. “I’ve thought this for a while, but yesterday confirmed it for me. I don’t see my future being in the United States,” she wrote on social media platform Threads, as reported by New York Times. Despite Trump’s potential four-year term, she expressed skepticism that the country could recover from the ideological shift she perceives, particularly in regard to those who supported his presidency. Wilson also highlighted the growing influence of anti-trans regulations, which she fears will persist beyond Trump’s tenure, and stated that the people who supported him will remain a significant part of the country’s fabric. “Even if he’s only in office for 4 years, even if the anti-trans regulations magically don’t happen, the people who willingly voted this in are not going anywhere anytime soon,” she added.
Wilson’s decision to sever ties with her father and the country is not entirely new. She had legally changed her name and gender in 2022 to dissociate herself from Elon Musk and his public persona. Her estrangement from Musk stems from a series of ideological differences, particularly regarding her transition and his perceived lack of support. Wilson has previously accused Musk of being an absent parent, with claims that he failed to understand and support her during her transition process. Musk, for his part, has pointed to what he calls “neo-Marxist” influences at elite schools and universities as the root cause of the ideological rift between him and his daughter. He has specifically referenced the Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica, California, as a place where he believes Wilson was influenced by what he refers to as the “woke mind virus,” which he claims led her to embrace far-left views that contradict his own more conservative beliefs.
In an interview with biographer Walter Isaacson, Musk described his daughter’s shift in ideological views, explaining that she had gone from socialism to what he referred to as “full communism,” even going as far as to think that anyone who is wealthy is inherently evil. Musk further elaborated on the emotional toll that his estrangement from Wilson has had on him, stating that it has caused him more pain than the death of his first child, Nevada. Despite their differences, Musk has consistently voiced his support for Trump and remains one of the wealthiest individuals in the world, with a net worth estimated at $285.6 billion.
