Errol Musk, the father of Elon Musk, sparked widespread controversy after he warned in a CNN interview about demographic changes in the United States that a decline in the white population would have serious consequences for the country’s future.Speaking to CNN correspondent Donie O’Sullivan for a documentary about conspiracy theories surrounding “white genocide,” Errol Musk responded to U.S. Census Bureau projections that show non-Hispanic white Americans are expected to fall below 50% of the population by the mid-2040s. Musk described this predicted change as “a very, very bad thing” and claimed that the United States would be “doomed” if whites became the minority.
“You want to see the fall of the United States? Why?” Musk asked during the interview. “You don’t like electric cars and you don’t like technology? What, you want to go back to the jungle?” The comments were widely criticized for implying that technological progress depends on racial demographics.
Comments on South Africa and apartheid
Musk continued to draw comparisons to South Africa, where he lives. He argued that the country’s small white population had historically projected a “European culture” and values that contributed to national development. During the exchange, Musk denied that black South Africans were systematically oppressed under apartheid, dismissing such claims as “nonsense.”These claims were directly contested on air by CNN and widely condemned by historians and commentators. Apartheid, which lasted until the early 1990s, is internationally recognized as a system of institutionalized racial segregation and oppression and is documented by courts, governments and human rights organizations worldwide.
Political context and reaction
Musk’s comments have sparked backlash on social media and international media outlets. Critics argue that his views reflect long-discredited theories of race and civilization. The controversy comes against a backdrop of heightened global sensitivity around race, migration and identity politics.The comments also overlap with recent political tensions in South Africa after Donald Trump made previous claims of a “white genocide” in the country, claims that have been repeatedly rejected by South African authorities and independent investigations.
What the data actually shows
US Census Bureau projections suggest that demographic change in the United States is being driven by long-term trends, including lower birth rates among non-Hispanic whites, higher birth rates among other groups and immigration. Demographers point out that the fact that the country is becoming a “white minority” does not mean that one group will become numerically dominant, nor does it mean economic or technological decline. Historically, periods of immigration and demographic change have coincided with innovation and growth in the United States.Still, Errol Musk’s CNN interview has placed him at the center of an ongoing global debate about demography, culture and identity, highlighting how population data is increasingly being interpreted through political and ideological lenses rather than empirical evidence.
