Elon Musk may well be this nation’s most famed pronatalist.
He has a well-documented obsession with the declining birthrate, which he believes may just doom humanity. “Except that adjustments,” he told Bret Baier ultimate month, “civilization will disappear.”
He has additionally taken this on as one thing of a private challenge. Musk has a minimum of 14 kids with a number of ladies, according to The Wall Street Journal, which reported that he calls his offspring his “legion,” after the armies with which historic Rome expanded its empire. And he has built a compound in Texas to deal with his circle of relatives, as my colleagues Kirsten Grind, Ryan Mac and Sheera Frenkel reported ultimate 12 months.
Musk additionally sees the country’s birthrate as a urgent factor of public coverage. “It must be thought to be a countrywide emergency to have youngsters,” he posted on X ultimate June. He has additionally stated that individuals must learn to concern childlessness reasonably than fearing being pregnant.
He’s a part of a movement of conservatives who need extra other folks to have extra small children, and who consider that coverage can inspire this. It’s a motion that hasn’t ever had such a lot political energy in The usa.
My colleague Caroline Kitchener has a captivating tale these days that explores how pronatalism is weaving itself into the West Wing and beyond. Trump aides are listening to out proposals that would provide monetary incentives for ladies to offer delivery — together with an concept for a $5,000 “child bonus” — or advertise extra schooling about ladies’s menstrual cycles and fertility home windows.
Sean Duffy, the secretary of transportation, has pledged to prioritize transportation funding to areas with higher rates of birth and marriage. And White Space aides, Caroline reported, are making ready a file for mid-Would possibly about easy methods to make I.V.F. extra extensively available.
It’s now not transparent that Musk himself has in truth been all for any of the ones discussions. However the easy reality of his presence within the management — in addition to that of Vice President JD Vance, who has stated he desires “extra small children in the US of The usa” — is significantly encouraging to those that need their reason to hit the mainstream.
“I simply assume this management is inherently pronatalist,” Simone Collins, an activist who despatched the White Space a number of proposals to boost the birthrate, advised Caroline. She added, “Take a look at the collection of youngsters that primary leaders within the management have.”
Pronatalism is a fancy motion, and now not each and every supporter favors Elon Musk’s manner. Lots of the ones pushing for upper birthrates are motivated now not through fears for the destiny of humankind, however through religion — and through their trust in two-parent families as society’s basic development block.
within the west wing
The place is Musk’s table?
Location, location, location.
My colleagues Junho Lee, Elena Shao, Maggie Haberman and Doug Generators have pulled in combination a complete have a look at who sits the place within the West Wing — and of course I sought after to understand the place Musk sits.
He and staff of the Division of Govt Potency occupy the grand Secretary of Conflict suite within the Eisenhower Govt Workplace Construction, subsequent door to the White Space. However Musk additionally has a small room on the second one ground of the West Wing, subsequent to the highest presidential speechwriter and two doorways down from Stephen Miller, the tough deputy leader of group of workers and place of birth safety adviser.
MEANWHILE on X
That point Elon Musk met the pope
Musk has slowed his on-line task quite in recent years, however there’s frequently a lot underneath the outside of his posts. My colleague Kate Conger takes a glance beneath the hood of 1.
On an afternoon when X used to be full of tributes to Pope Francis, Elon Musk didn’t point out the pope’s demise at once. As a substitute, he reposted with out remark a message from Tim Cook dinner, Apple’s leader government: “Becoming a member of other folks world wide in mourning Pope Francis these days. He lived a lifetime of peculiar grace and deep compassion. Would possibly he relaxation in peace.”
However Musk has somewhat of historical past with Pope Francis. In July 2022, Musk took 4 of his kids to fulfill the pope and wrote on X that he used to be “commemorated” through the talk over with.
Since then, the ideological hole between Musk and the pope has widened right into a gulf. Francis driven for variety and inclusion within the Catholic church, whilst Musk has raged towards equivalent tasks in tech and has labored to eliminate them from executive.
And whilst Vice President JD Vance met with Pope Francis on Sunday, Musk selected to focus on some other assembly as an alternative. On Monday, he shared a publish through Vance about his assembly with Top Minister Narendra Modi of India. “I look ahead to operating beneath President Trump’s management to reinforce our friendship and cooperation with the folks of India!” Vance had written.
The repost used to be a refined reminder that Musk himself had met with Modi earlier this year.
Musk additionally shared a publish claiming that X used to be the No. 1 news app in India. He added: “Cool.”
— Kate Conger
