Elon Musk's gesture following Trump's swearing-in, but his father Errol swears Elon is not a racist.
Image: Angela Weiss / AFP
Errol Musk, father of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, has denied claims that his son is racist, stating that Elon had black friends growing up — his family’s servants.
In a Washington Post article, 79-year-old Errol Musk insisted that his children were never interested in “political nonsense".
In an email to The Washington Post, Errol Musk emphasised that his sons were more focused on hobbies than politics, stating: “We had several Black servants who were their friends.”
This is not the first time Errol Musk has publicly defended his son.
In February 2025, he defended Elon’s comments on the situation in South Africa, where the Tesla CEO referred to a ‘genocide’ in the country.
Speaking on a podcast with MacG and Phenduka, Errol Musk clarified Elon’s remarks:
“I think what he said was that white farmers are three times more likely to be shot than a police officer. This is not a good thing.”
Born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa, Elon Reeve Musk grew up alongside his brother, Kimbal, and sister, Tosca. His mother, Maye Musk, is a Canadian model, while his father, Errol Musk, is a wealthy South African engineer.
Following his parents’ divorce at the age of 10, Musk developed an early passion for computers. By 12-years-old, he had programmed and sold his first video game, Blastar, for $500.
At 17-years-old, in 1988, Musk left South Africa for Canada to avoid military service that was compulsory for young white men under apartheid. That same year, he obtained Canadian citizenship, marking the beginning of his journey to becoming the world’s richest man.
IOL
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