Elon Musk’s growing political influence and alignment with right-wing ideologies may have deeper roots than previously thought, with his mother, Maye Musk, at the center of speculation about his evolving worldview.
Maye Musk, a 76-year-old model and nutritionist, has long been a public figure in her own right, walking the runways of major fashion weeks and dining with influential figures like Ivanka Trump and Wendi Deng. But beyond her glamorous public image lies a family history intertwined with controversial ideologies—one that some believe is shaping Elon’s increasingly radical stance.
Maye’s father, Joshua Haldeman, was a white supremacist and conspiracy theorist who actively sought out apartheid-era South Africa as a haven for his beliefs. A staunch advocate of the Technocracy movement, which promoted governance by unelected experts over democratic institutions, Haldeman held deeply racist and antisemitic views, seeing South Africa as the last bastion of “white Christian civilization.” His ideology bears striking similarities to Elon Musk’s current rhetoric, including his criticisms of multiculturalism and his endorsement of far-right conspiracy theories.
While Musk has positioned himself as a champion of free speech and government efficiency, his rhetoric—particularly on X (formerly Twitter)—has increasingly mirrored the themes his grandfather once espoused. From threatening to sue Jewish advocacy groups to amplifying posts about the “great replacement” theory, Musk’s trajectory toward the far-right has fueled concerns about his true political motivations.
Maye, once a self-proclaimed Democrat, has also embraced the shift. She has used her platform to defend Trump, attack Biden, and cheer on her son’s political crusades. Her presence in China, where she is a well-known “silver influencer,” adds another layer of intrigue, as her son maintains deep business ties with the Chinese government.
Though Elon Musk’s father, Errol Musk, has dismissed claims that his son’s ideology is rooted in Haldeman’s influence, the parallels remain difficult to ignore. With Musk now playing a pivotal role in shaping US policy, some fear that the technocratic, anti-democratic vision that his grandfather once championed may be taking hold in real time—only now, on a global scale.
