Elon Musk's reaction to Taylor Swift's support for Harris fits the right's image of women

Republican reactions to Taylor Swift's support for Kamala Harris ranged from anger to mock disdain, but one particularly disturbing reaction from the right came from none other than Elon Musk.

On Tuesday night, the pop star announced in an Instagram post that she would vote for Harris in November. Swift, 34, signed her statement with the words “childless cat lady,” a clear dig at Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, who has mocked and dismissed women without biological children.

Shortly afterwards, 53-year-old Musk – who supports Donald Trump – joined the discussion in the sleaziest way possible, writing on X: “Good, Taylor… you won… I will give you a child and protect your cats with my life.”

What exactly Musk might have meant by this post has been interpreted differently, and he has suggested it was a joke. But even if his comment was intended as a joke, it was not only weird and disgusting, but also entirely unnecessary. Musk – a billionaire who is trying to use his money and influence to influence the presidential election and whom Trump has nominated for the role of government “efficiency” czar – is a billionaire who is trying to use his money and influence to influence the presidential election and whom Trump has nominated for the role of government “efficiency” czar. — portrays himself as an eccentric nonconformist with the mind of an online troll, albeit with an outsized capacity to do harm. His post not only trivializes Swift's support of Harris, but also focuses on “solving” her status as a “childless cat lady” with an eerily presumptuous tone of intimacy.

This kind of comment with its misogynistic undertones is disturbing in itself. But it is also in line with the way the MAGA group, of which Musk is a member, talks about women, including women in positions of power.

In late August, Fox News host Jesse Watters made a reference to military generals and Harris on his show before saying, in the face of heated reactions, that he “didn't imply anything sexual.” Trump has also stepped up his blatantly sexist attacks on Harris, suggesting that her political rise was due to her sexuality.

Combine that with Vance's regressive views on women and Republicans' attacks on reproductive rights, and it becomes clear how much the right cares about women.