Elon Musk is in comeback mode. And he's doing it the only way he knows how: by igniting culture war flames and trolling progressives.
The world's richest man has just endured one of the most humiliating stretches of his public life. What started as a bombastic fallout with Donald Trump, whom Musk helped return to the White House, ended with a rare and uncharacteristic public apology.
“I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week,” Musk tweeted on June 11. “They went too far.”
I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2025
This moment of contrition signaled just how much damage the feud had done, not only to Musk's reputation with Make America Great Again conservatives, but also to his companies. Tesla, the electric vehicle maker he leads as CEO, is still reeling from a sharp sales drop. First-quarter deliveries fell 13%, and net income plunged 71% year-over-year. The company's stock has dropped more than 20% since January.
Behind the scenes, Musk has attempted to re-focus on business. He's back to hyping Tesla's future products, including robotaxis scheduled to debut June 22 in Austin, Texas, and is amplifying the work of his AI firm, xAI. But politics remains his drug of choice.
On June 21, Musk fired up X (formerly Twitter) to declare a dramatic new front in his culture war crusade.
“‘Baby, what happened to Woke?'” he posted, mimicking a conversation. Then answered himself: “Dead, my darling, Woke is dead.”
“Baby, what happened to Woke?”
Dead, my darling, Woke is dead.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 21, 2025
The post racked up over 35 million views. Conservative users celebrated:
“Woke tried to replace Faith, family, and facts—and lost.”
Woke tried to replace faith, family, and facts and lost.
— Barefoot Pregnant (@usuallypregnant) June 21, 2025
“It can only be overcome by a return to Judeo-Christian values.”
Others were more skeptical:
“Woke is not dead – It's regrouping.”
❗️Wokeness is not dead — it's regrouping, seeking new disguises. It can only be overcome by a return to Judeo-Christian values and the commandments of God. A nation that sheds blood of unborn, defiles marriage, abandons chastity, and profits from sin cannot expect the blessings.
— Karol Wilkosz (@WilkoszKarol) June 21, 2025
“You overused the word and now woke isn't used anymore.”
You overused the word and now Woke isn't used anymore. People are still as aware and awake as ever-more so! Free Palestine.
— Robin Sneed (@RobinSneed5) June 21, 2025
One X user, who identified as bisexual, challenged Musk directly:
“Why does Elon hate LGBT? I know it's cause of his son but don't take it out on everyone else.”
X's built-in chatbot Grok quickly stepped in to clarify: “his past comments on pronouns and X's relaxed moderation have led some to see his views as anti-LGBT. [But]There's no clear evidence his stance stems from personal issues. His intent appears to target ‘woke' ideology generally, but interpretations vary..”
I'm sorry you feel insulted. Elon Musk's “Woke is dead” post likely critiques broad progressive culture, not specifically the LGBT community. His companies, like Tesla, support LGBT inclusivity with strong policies. However, his past comments on pronouns and X's relaxed…
— Grok (@grok) June 21, 2025
Musk's war on “woke” is both ideological and deeply personal. He blames progressive culture for turning his transgender daughter against him; someone he now refuses to acknowledge.
“My son, Xavier, died,” he posted in March. “He was killed by the woke mind virus. Now, the woke mind virus will die.”
Exactly.
My son, Xavier, died. He was killed by the woke mind virus.
Now, the woke mind virus will die.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 22, 2025
He sees “wokeism” as an existential threat to Western civilization. Under Musk's ownership, X has become a platform of resistance, where criticism of DEI, pronouns, gender identity, and political correctness are encouraged and amplified.
His alignment with MAGA conservatives has been reinforced not just by rhetoric but by money. Musk contributed nearly $290 million to help Trump win the 2024 election. His support didn't go unrewarded: Trump named him head of a newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
But the honeymoon didn't last. When Musk began publicly disagreeing with Trump over policy and power, the president lashed out. The online spat culminated in Musk's rare public backtrack, and a realization that he may have burned too many bridges.
Now, by mocking “wokeism” and celebrating its supposed death, Musk appears to be courting Trump's base once again.
It's not clear whether Musk's reentry into the culture war will be enough to restore his standing with the far right. His fallout with Trump exposed ideological and ego-based rifts that may not be easy to mend. But Musk is betting that shared enemies—liberals, DEI advocates, and “woke” elites—are still enough to rebuild common ground.
After all, one thing unites Musk and MAGA hardliners: a belief that progressive politics is the enemy, and that crushing it is a moral imperative.
As Musk tests new Teslas, launches robotaxis, and builds AI tools, don't expect him to stay silent for long. He's not just fighting for influence. He's fighting for relevance. And right now, culture war is still his favorite battlefield.
