American tech billionaire and current U.S. government official Elon Musk has sparked fresh controversy with a recent comment criticizing the growing number of individuals identifying as transgender in the United States.

Musk, who currently leads the Department of Government Efficiency under President Donald Trump’s administration, made the remark in response to new data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The data, shared on social media platform X by American author John LeFerre, highlights a steady increase in the percentage of U.S. adults identifying as transgender—particularly among those born between 1990 and 2005.


Responding to the trend, Musk posted:
“Woke mind virus in action. Now, it is time for the mind virus to die.”

The comment echoes Musk’s ongoing critique of what he calls "woke ideology" and comes amid a broader cultural and political debate around gender identity in the U.S., particularly during President Trump’s second term.

In February 2025, President Trump signed an executive order barring biological males from participating in women’s sports—an action that has drawn both praise and criticism nationwide.


Musk’s remarks also arrive against the backdrop of related international developments. Just last week, the United Kingdom's Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of "woman" under its equality laws pertains strictly to biological sex. The decision has sparked widespread protests from transgender rights advocates across the UK.

As public figures and governments continue to weigh in, the conversation around gender identity remains one of the most polarizing issues in both American and global discourse.