"Elon Musk, JD Vance, and the Rise of Pronatalism: Why It's Gaining Attention Now"

"Elon Musk, JD Vance, and the Rise of Pronatalism: Why It's Gaining Attention Now"

Their mission is straightforward: to create as many babies as possible.

Pronatalism—a movement encouraging childbearing in response to declining global birthrates—is gaining traction under the Trump administration. Elon Musk, now leading the Department of Government Efficiency and reportedly father to 14 children with multiple women, has warned that falling birthrates pose 

Vice President JD Vance captured the administration’s stance clearly during the January March for Life rally: “Let me say very simply: I want more babies in the United States of America.”

Pronatalism has attracted a diverse group of supporters—religious and secular alike. Some grow their families naturally, others turn to in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Despite differing beliefs and methods, they all share a common concern: America’s declining birthrate poses a serious threat, and without intervention, the future of society could be at risk.

The challenge, however, lies in figuring out how to address the issue. That’s where the consensus begins to fracture.

Jennifer Sciubba, a demographer and author of 8 Billion and Counting: How Sex, Death, and Migration Shape Our World, notes that the diversity of perspectives within the pronatalist movement is reflected in the Trump administration as well.

“There are so many different kinds of pronatalism and a wide range of motivations behind it,” she explains. Vance, she suggests, likely represents those who view the issue through a religious lens, with a strong emphasis on family and community values. “Then there are others—Elon Musk, for example—who approach it from a more existential standpoint,” she adds.

Why pronatalism is gaining followers
Malcolm and Simone Collins are among the most well-known voices in the pronatalist movement. They co-host the podcast Based Camp, where they explore topics like politics, human sexuality, and pronatalism, and they also founded the advocacy group Pronatalist.org to promote their vision.

The couple currently has four children, with a fifth on the way. Malcolm says he’s aiming for at least seven—ideally 13—but jokes that Simone has promised to keep going “until they pull out [her] uterus.” Because of fertility challenges, the couple has relied on IVF to grow their family.

While Collins insists that pronatalism isn’t inherently a right-wing movement, he acknowledges it’s often linked to the political right, largely because Republicans are more open to addressing the issue of declining birthrates than their Democratic counterparts.

Still, Sciubba acknowledges that pronatalists raise a valid concern about the nation’s population trends. A May 2024 White House press release confirms that the U.S. birthrate has been steadily declining since 2007—and it’s not just an American issue. Globally, birthrates have been dropping since the 1960s.

The reasons behind this trend are complex, Sciubba explains. Many people feel they can’t afford to start families due to economic instability and soaring housing costs. Couples are also marrying later in life, which shortens the time they have to conceive naturally. And increasingly, individuals simply don’t see having children as essential to living a meaningful or fulfilling life.

Sciubba believes that policymakers are well aware of these underlying issues. However, she points out that it’s often far easier—and more politically palatable—to promote having more children than to tackle the deeper structural problems.

“It’s politically very hard to reform systems that were designed during an era when endless population growth seemed inevitable—and now that’s no longer the case,” she says. “Implementing a family-friendly or pronatalist policy is a much simpler political move than, say, overhauling Social Security.”

From Collins’ perspective, pronatalism isn’t about pressuring anyone into parenthood—it’s about supporting those who already want children.

“It’s not about making child-free people have kids,” he explains. “It’s about helping those who dream of having large families—who want to build their lives around that goal—make it possible to have even more children.”

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