Elon Musk is in comeback mode. And he does it the only way he knows how: by ignite the flames of culture wars and trolling progressives.
The wealthiest man in the world has just endured one of the most humiliating stretches of his public life. What began as a bold fallout with Donald Trump, who helped Musk return to the White House, ended with a rare and distinctive public apology.
“I regret some of my posts about President @RealdonaldTrump last week,” Musk tweeted on June 11th. “They went too far.”
I regret some of my posts about the president @RealdonaldTrump last week. They went too far.
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2025
This moment of attitude shows not only Musk’s reputation but also how much damage the feud has done to his company. Tesla, the electric car maker he leads as CEO, is still upset by the sharp decline in sales. Deliveries in the first quarter fell 13%, while net profit fell 71% year-on-year. The company’s shares have fallen by more than 20% since January.
Behind the scenes, Musk tried to refocus on his business. He returns to hyping Tesla’s future products, including Robotaxis, which is due to debut June 22 in Austin, Texas, and amplifies the work of his AI company, Xai. But politics remains the drug of his choice.
On June 21, Musk fired X (formerly Twitter) and declared a dramatic new front for his Culture War Crusades.
“‘Baby, what woke up?'” he posted, mimicking the conversation. Then he answered: “Die, my beloved, the one awakened is dead.”
“Baby, what happened?”
Dead, my beloved, the one awakened is dead.
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 21, 2025
The Post has received over 35 million views. Conservative users celebrated:
“Awakening has been lost and replaced by faith, family and facts.”
Awakening was lost, attempting to replace faith, family and facts.
– Barefoot pregnancy (@upersallypregnant) June 21, 2025
“It can only be overcome by returning to the values of Jewish Christianity.”
Others were more skeptical:
“Awakening is not dead – it’s being reorganized.”
❗§Wokeness is not dead – it has been reorganized and seeks new disguises. It can only be overcome by returning to the values of Judeo-Christianity and the commandments of God. A nation that sheds the blood of the fetus, gives up marriage, chastity, and gives up profits from sin, cannot expect blessings.
– Karol Wilkosz (@wilkoszkarol) June 21, 2025
“You’ve used too many words and what you’ve just woken up is no longer used.”
You used too many words and now you’ve woken up and now you’ve stopped using it. People are still always aware and awake! 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 that’s the cause of his son, but don’t take it out to others.”
X’s built-in chatbot Grok immediately stepped in and said, “His past comments on the pronouns and X’s relaxed moderation led to his views being anti-LGBT. [But]There is no clear evidence that his stance stems from personal issues. His intentions generally appear to target “wake-up” ideology, but interpretations are different. ”
Sorry for being humiliated. Elon Musk’s “Woke Is Dead” post is likely to criticize a wide range of progressive cultures, not particularly the LGBT community. His company, like Tesla, supports LGBT inclusiveness with strong policies. But his past comments on pronouns and X’s relaxation…
– grok (@grok) June 21, 2025
Musk’s “awakening” war is ideological and deeply personal. He denies progressive culture for pointing his transgender daughter at him. Someone he refuses to admit now.
“My son, Xavier, has passed away,” he posted in March. “He was killed by the awakened mind virus. Now the awakened mind virus is dead.”
that’s right.
My son Xavier has passed away. He was killed by a woken mind virus.
The awakened mind virus is now dead.
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 22, 2025
He sees “awakening” as an existential threat to Western civilization. Under the ownership of the mask, X became a platform for resistance. There, criticism of DEI, pronouns, gender identity, and political correctness is encouraged and amplified.
His collaboration with the conservatives of Maga is strengthened not only by rhetoric but by money. Musk has donated nearly $290 million to win the 2024 election. His support was not rewarded. Trump named him the head of the newly created Office of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
However, the honeymoon didn’t last long. The president assaulted him when Musk began publicly opposed Trump and his power. Online spats led to masks’ unusual public backtracks, and there was a realization that he might have burned too many bridges.
Now, by laughing “wake” and celebrating that supposed death, Musk appears to be courting Trump’s base again.
It is not clear whether Musk’s re-entry into the culture war would be sufficient to restore his position on the far right. His fallout with Trump exposed ideological and ego-based rifts. But Musk bets that shared enemies, liberals, dei defenders, and “awakening” elites are enough to rebuild a common foundation.
After all, one thing brings together masks and the hardliners of Maga. The belief is that progressive politics is the enemy and that it is a moral duty to crush it.
Musk tests the new Teslas, launches Robotaxis and builds AI tools, so don’t expect him to remain silent for a long time. He’s not simply fighting for influence. He fights for relevance. And now, Culture Wars is his favorite battlefield.
