Elon Musk’s mother, Maye Musk, appeared on Fox Business this Monday to criticize those who refer to her son as “wealthy,” calling the term “degrading” and expressing a preference for him to be called “the genius of the world.”
During the interview, she praised her son’s achievements, including his work with SpaceX, Tesla, and X (formerly Twitter), and discussed his relationship with President-elect Donald Trump, noting that they get along well and enjoy spending time together.
Maye Musk also suggested that Elon and co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy would easily be able to cut the federal workforce and reduce spending, citing Elon’s swift layoffs at Twitter following its acquisition in 2022. She also took the opportunity to criticize the media, calling them “dishonest Democrat media” and asserting that they would try to undermine Elon’s relationship with Trump.
In the interview, she passionately defended her son, stating that the focus should be on his intellectual contributions rather than his wealth. “I don’t like the word ‘wealthy’ or ‘billionaire’… I think it’s degrading,” she said. “I think he’s the genius of the world, and people are loving him for that.” Maye also emphasized that she was very proud of him for what he does and the respect he garners.
Her comments quickly sparked ridicule on social media, with many mocking the idea of a mother going on TV to defend her child in such a manner. Some shared memes of characters like Milhouse from The Simpsons, humorously comparing the situation to a child seeking approval from their mom in an exaggerated way. Others critiqued the situation as being overly sycophantic, even comparing it to North Korean-style propaganda.
