Elon Musk’s mother sparks backlash with ‘racist’ election day tweet

Elon Musk’s mother, Maye Musk, has been accused of racism over a tweet she shared ahead of the presidential election.

The 76-year-old author took to X/Twitter on Tuesday (November 5) to criticize an article that was allegedly in the works from The New York Times. In the since-deleted post, which has been re-shared on X, Maye made comments about tech reporter Ryan Mac’s ethnicity while alleging that he was writing a “hit piece” about Elon.

“I’ve heard there is going to be an Elon hit piece by @RMac18 in the @nytimes tomorrow,” May wrote. “Sadly, Ryan is an American Vietnamese reporter. My book is a bestseller in Vietnam. I don’t think my readers will believe the article if it’s hateful and/or dishonest. Let’s see.”

Maye published her first memoir, A Woman Makes a Plan: Advice for a Lifetime of Adventure, Beauty, and Success, in 2019. She published her guide to fitness, nutrition, and self-confidence, Feel Fantastic- Maye Musk’s Good Health Clinic, in 1996.

On X, she was met with immense scrutiny for her post and her decision to mention Mac’s ethnicity.

“For the record, @RMac18 was born and raised in California. Not that it matters. Calling out a reporter for their ethnic heritage is never appropriate,” NBC News reporter Tyler Kingkade wrote.

“Always promoting racism. Sad and twisted take,” another person responded, while a third wrote: “No one should be singled out by their race like this. Completely unacceptable. @RMac18 is a consummate professional.”

Mac – who is known for his coverage of major tech figures including Elon and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg – also responded to Maye’s comment. “Anyone doing any american vietnamese s*** tonight?” he joked. He also updated his bio on X to describe himself as “american vietnamese.”

However, Maye didn’t hesitate to defend herself in another post. “@nytimes has been lying about [Elon] for 15 years. Nothing new. It must be hard to be hateful and dishonest continuously. Hope Ryan is paid well,” she wrote.

The Independent has contacted Maye’s representatives for comment.

Maye’s comment came on the day of the US presidential election, which Donald Trump has now been declared the winner of. Elon has been a staunch advocate of the Republican candidate throughout his re-election campaign.

Elon, who also owns X, may be rewarded with a place in the future president’s new administration. The Tesla CEO’s influence has been so stark that in his speech to supporters on election night, Trump paid a lengthy tribute to the Space X owner, calling him a “star” of the Republican Party and a “wonderful” guy.

Elon has appeared at several Trump rallies, as well as pumping millions of dollars into campaign groups supporting the Republican nominee. He also funded several sweepstakes in swing states that required people to register to vote and sign a pro-Trump petition to be eligible.

Following Trump’s win, Elon tweeted: “The people of America gave @realDonaldTrump a crystal clear mandate for change tonight.”