Topline
New Twitter proprietor Elon Musk, whose political opinions typically echo these on the precise, mentioned Friday he would again Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) if he runs for president—the billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO’s newest transfer aligning himself with Republicans, regardless of an extended historical past of supporting Democratic presidential candidates.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is pictured as he attends the beginning of the manufacturing at Tesla’s “Gigafactory” … [+]
Timeline
The 12 months he grew to become chairman of Tesla, Musk made his first federal political contribution to former President George W. Bush’s re-election marketing campaign, in response to Federal Election Fee data that present he gave the Bush-Cheney marketing campaign $2,000 that 12 months, nonetheless he additionally contributed the identical quantity to Democrat John Kerry’s presidential marketing campaign in 2004.
Musk donated $25,000 to the Nationwide Republican Congressional Committee in February that 12 months, however he additionally gave $2,300 to then-presidential candidate Barack Obama in July and $4,600 to fellow Democratic contender Hillary Clinton’s presidential marketing campaign in February 2008.
Musk, who recently said he supported Obama’s marketing campaign for president (with out specifying which one), gave $35,800 to the Obama Victory Fund for the previous president’s re-election bid and likewise donated $30,800 to the Democratic Nationwide Committee.
Musk stepped down from Mark Zuckerberg-led immigration advocacy group Fwd.us after it ran ads in help of Republicans who backed the Keystone XL oil pipeline, saying he helps immigration reform however it “shouldn’t be achieved on the expense of different essential causes,” he told AllThingsD, with out specifying the opposite causes.
Musk, who has mentioned the U.S. ought to “eliminate all” federal subsidies though SpaceX and Tesla have each received millions from the federal authorities, directed Tesla to repay a $465 million federal electrical automobile mortgage almost a decade earlier than the corporate was scheduled to take action (the Obama Administration touted the move, after some Republicans criticized backing clear power corporations).
Musk donated $5,000 to assist fund Hillary Clinton’s marketing campaign for president, and he voiced help for Clinton in 2016 whereas denouncing her then-opponent former President Donald Trump, telling CNBC Trump doesn’t have the “form of character that displays properly on the US.”
Musk donated hefty sums to Republicans: $50,000 to Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)’s McCarthy Victory Fund in March and $39,600 to the Nationwide Republican Congressional Committee.
Musk left the Trump Administration’s advisory councils in June after the previous president withdrew from the Paris Settlement to fight local weather change; earlier that 12 months, Musk criticized the administration over its journey ban in opposition to a number of majority-Muslim international locations.
Musk mentioned he voted for President Joe Biden, although he didn’t donate to any presidential campaigns and gave cash to each Republicans (Sen. Susan Collins of Maine) and Democrats (Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware), in response to FEC data, whereas additionally voicing help for then-Democratic main candidate Andrew Yang.
Musk donated solely to Republican political operations final 12 months, giving a collection of donations lower than $500 to each the Republican Nationwide Committee and the WinRed Republican fundraising platform.
Trump and Musk traded barbs: Trump referred to as Twitter—which Musk was attempting to again out of a deal to purchase on the time—“nugatory” in a collection of Reality Social posts the place he additionally derided Musk’s corporations, whereas Musk tweeted that Trump ought to “hold up his hat & sail into the sundown.”
Musk, contemporary off of his Twitter takeover, urged Individuals to forged their ballots for Republicans in what he mentioned was an effort to stability energy in Washington between the 2 events: “I like to recommend voting for a Republican Congress, on condition that the Presidency is Democratic,” he tweeted, months after calling the Democratic celebration certainly one of “division and hate.”
Musk mentioned he was “upset” by the Biden Administration and most well-liked somebody for president in 2024 who’s “wise and centrist,” he tweeted earlier than responding “yes” to a person who requested if he would again DeSantis if he runs.
Forbes Valuation
We estimate Musk is value $191.2 billion, making him the wealthiest person on Earth. His Tesla shares account for most of his internet value, and a plunge within the firm’s share worth has induced his wealth to fall over the previous 12 months.
Key Background
Musk, who has mentioned he prefers to “stay out of politics,” has waded into the political sphere on controversial points together with the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russian warfare in Ukraine and free speech points. He moved to Texas from California in 2020 in the course of the top of the pandemic, months after calling government-imposed Covid-19 restrictions “fascist,” and he later moved Tesla’s headquarters to the state after sparring with California on coronavirus restrictions. He has additionally squabbled with distinguished Democrats on Twitter, calling Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) “Senator Karen” after she recommended he pay extra in taxes in December. And in October, he ignited controversy when he recommended there could betruth to an unfounded right-wing conspiracy that the person accused of attacking Nancy Pelosi’s husband was a male prostitute in a since-deleted response to a tweet from Hillary Clinton denouncing the speculation. Musk additionally feuded with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in October after he recommended the Crimea Peninsula must be stored beneath Russian management, an concept that drew reward from the Kremlin. In terms of free speech and Twitter’s moderation insurance policies, his acknowledged views in opposition to censorship (Musk calls himself a “free speech absolutist”) align with these on the precise who’ve referred to as for investigations into tech corporations that Republicans declare are politically biased.
Tangent
Republican lawmakers applauded Musk for purchasing Twitter, citing his criticism of Twitter’s earlier insurance policies. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.), who beforehand criticized Musk for talking out in opposition to Trump’s 2017 withdrawal from the Paris Settlement, referred to as Musk’s buy of Twitter “some of the important developments at no cost speech in trendy occasions.”
