🔥 “You have killed the spirit of sports with your cruel thinking!” Elon Musk launches a fierce attack Immediately strip transgender athlete Lia Thomas of her participation rights, don’t let ‘WOKE’ people ruin US sports | HO!~

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has reignited one of America’s most divisive cultural debates, unleashing a blistering social media tirade targeting transgender athlete Lia Thomas and what he described as the “cruel thinking” that is “killing the spirit of sports.”

“You have killed the spirit of sports with your cruel thinking!” Musk thundered in a post to his 200 million followers on X (formerly Twitter). “Don’t let ‘WOKE’ people ruin U.S. sports.”

The remarks, posted late Monday night, sent shockwaves across the athletic and political spheres, sparking both fierce condemnation and fervent praise. Musk’s direct call for Thomas to be stripped of her rights to compete in women’s events marks his most pointed intervention yet in the ongoing battle over transgender inclusion in competitive athletics.

A Flashpoint in America’s Cultural Divide

Musk’s comments came in response to renewed coverage of Lia Thomas, the 25-year-old swimmer who made history in 2022 as the first openly transgender woman to win an NCAA Division I championship. Her victory in the 500-yard freestyle became a symbol of progress for some — and a lightning rod for others who viewed it as emblematic of unfair advantages in women’s sports.

Thomas, a former University of Pennsylvania standout, had competed on the men’s team before transitioning and undergoing hormone therapy. While NCAA guidelines permitted her participation, her success reignited questions about fairness, biology, and the limits of inclusion in elite competition.

The debate has simmered ever since, but Musk’s post has poured fuel on the fire at a moment when sports governing bodies and lawmakers alike are redefining the rules of participation.

“Lia Thomas has become a political Rorschach test,” said Dr. Naomi Feldman, a sociologist at the University of Chicago. “To conservatives, she represents the collapse of traditional values; to progressives, she’s a symbol of equality. Musk’s comments push this conversation back to the center of America’s culture wars.”

The Musk Megaphone

As CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and owner of X, Musk’s words carry global reach — and immediate consequence. Within hours of his post, the hashtag #ElonVsLia was trending worldwide. Supporters rallied around his stance, echoing calls for stricter athletic policies, while critics accused him of using a marginalized community as a political punching bag.

Musk’s post garnered over 50,000 likes and 20,000 reposts within its first six hours. Among the earliest to respond was Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who wrote:

“Finally, someone with power saying what women athletes have been afraid to say. Elon is right — protect women’s sports!”

Others, including former collegiate swimmers like Riley Gaines, who famously tied Thomas for fifth place at the 2022 NCAA championships, applauded Musk’s stance. “He’s saying what the NCAA won’t,” Gaines posted.

But LGBTQ+ advocacy groups called the attack dangerous and dehumanizing. Sarah Kate Ellis, president of GLAAD, condemned Musk’s rhetoric as “a calculated effort to weaponize trans visibility for political gain.”

“This isn’t about sports,” Ellis said. “It’s about stoking division for attention and erasing the humanity of transgender people who just want to participate like everyone else.”

The Broader Backdrop: From the Pool to Policy

Musk’s eruption follows a landmark Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision earlier this month upholding World Aquatics’ 2022 ban on transgender women who underwent male puberty from competing in elite female categories. The ruling effectively barred Thomas from international competition, though she continues to fight the policy in court.

Thomas’s legal team argues that the ban constitutes gender-based discrimination, violating international human rights standards.

In the United States, however, the tide appears to be turning against inclusion. As of 2025, 23 states — including Florida, Texas, and Ohio — have enacted laws restricting transgender participation in girls’ and women’s sports.

A 2023 Gallup poll showed that 69% of Americans opposed allowing transgender athletes to compete according to their gender identity — up from 62% just two years prior.

“Musk’s statement lands in a climate already primed for outrage,” said political analyst Jonathan Reid. “He’s not creating this divide — he’s amplifying it.”

Lia Thomas: A Reluctant Symbol

Thomas herself has remained largely silent amid the uproar. Since losing her appeal to CAS, she has focused on private training and advocacy for transgender inclusion.

In a 2023 interview with ESPN, Thomas reflected on her controversial rise:

“Swimming has always been about pushing limits, not fitting boxes. I didn’t transition to win — I transitioned to live.”

Those words have been revisited in light of Musk’s attack, with supporters framing Thomas as a scapegoat for broader anxieties about gender and progress.

“She’s been vilified simply for existing in a system that allowed her to compete,” said former U.S. swimmer Nancy Hogshead-Makar, now a lawyer and advocate for women in sports. “Blaming her is a distraction from the real issue — the institutions that failed to create clear, fair policies.”

Personal Shadows: Musk’s Family Rift

Critics also note the personal dimension behind Musk’s fixation on gender identity. His own daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, who came out as transgender in 2022, legally severed ties with him, dropping his surname and describing their relationship as “nonexistent.”

In interviews, Wilson has accused her father of emotional cruelty and public humiliation, recounting incidents in which he berated her for her identity.

Musk, in turn, has cited his daughter’s transition as proof of what he calls the “woke mind virus” infiltrating American institutions. “It destroyed my family,” he said in a 2024 Financial Times interview.

For many LGBTQ+ advocates, Musk’s personal grievances have bled into his public persona, shaping his escalating campaign against transgender visibility.

“This is not abstract for him,” said GLAAD’s Ellis. “He’s projecting private pain onto public policy — and people like Lia Thomas are caught in the crossfire.”

Science, Fairness, and the Future of Sport

Beyond ideology, Musk’s post taps into an ongoing scientific debate. A 2024 British Journal of Sports Medicine study found that transgender women retain measurable muscle mass and strength advantages even after several years of hormone therapy.

Advocates for stricter eligibility rules cite this data as evidence that inclusion must not come at the expense of fairness. Others counter that athletic success depends on far more than testosterone — including training, nutrition, and psychological factors.

“Science is nuanced, but politics isn’t,” said Dr. Michael Sherwood, a physiologist at Stanford University. “When people like Elon Musk enter the conversation, they flatten complexity into outrage. That’s when science becomes a weapon rather than a guide.”

Elon Musk and the Politics of Provocation

This is hardly Musk’s first foray into culture-war territory. Since acquiring Twitter (now X) in 2022, he has positioned himself as a crusader against what he calls “woke censorship.”

He’s reinstated previously banned accounts accused of spreading anti-trans content — including Libs of TikTok — and used his platform to lambast what he sees as ideological overreach in corporate and media spaces.

Earlier this month, Musk sparked outrage after accusing Netflix of “grooming children” through programming that features LGBTQ+ families. He also mocked Disney executives for supporting trans-inclusive storylines, telling followers to “cancel the mouse.”

Musk’s defenders see this as fearless truth-telling. His detractors see it as opportunistic pandering to his conservative fan base.

“He’s turned social media into a megaphone for populist rage,” said media critic Alyssa Chen. “And like everything Musk touches, it goes viral.”

Political Reactions: Applause and Alarm

Within hours of his post, Musk’s comments had infiltrated Washington.

Republican lawmakers hailed his remarks as validation of their ongoing legislative push to “protect women’s sports.” Senator Tom Cotton praised Musk for “standing up to insanity,” while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis reposted Musk’s quote alongside the caption: “Florida will never let this happen.”

Democrats, meanwhile, condemned the post as a cynical distraction from larger issues. “This is cruelty disguised as concern,” tweeted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “We can ensure fairness in sports without dehumanizing trans people.”

The White House declined to comment directly but reaffirmed President Biden’s commitment to “dignity and inclusion for all Americans.”

A Nation Divided in the Pool

While Musk’s rhetoric dominates headlines, sports institutions are quietly bracing for the policy ripple effects. The NCAA, still recovering from the fallout of its 2022 guidelines, is under renewed pressure to align with international restrictions.

“We are reviewing all scientific data and global standards,” the organization said in a statement. “Our goal is competitive integrity and inclusion — both are essential.”

For now, Lia Thomas remains eligible to compete domestically under NCAA rules, though experts believe changes are imminent.

Meanwhile, Musk’s post continues to reverberate. In a follow-up thread Tuesday morning, he doubled down:

“If fairness dies, sports die. Let’s not pretend biology is a choice.”

The Spirit of Sports — and the State of the Nation

Musk’s declaration — “You have killed the spirit of sports with your cruel thinking!” — encapsulates a broader cultural anxiety about who defines fairness, and who gets to compete.

For millions, it’s a question about the future of athletics. For others, it’s a reflection of the deep ideological fractures dividing the country.

“Sports used to unite us,” said columnist Jemele Hill. “Now they’re just another battlefield. Elon Musk’s comments are gasoline on a fire that’s already burning.”

Yet, for all the outrage, the story of Lia Thomas remains what it has always been: a young woman chasing excellence in a pool that’s become far bigger than her.

As Musk’s post ricochets through media and politics, one truth endures: the conversation around inclusion, fairness, and the meaning of sport is far from settled.

And in the era of social-media megaphones and billionaire provocateurs, it’s likely to grow louder — and crueler — before it finds calm waters again.