Elon Musk says he is ‘undecided’ about whether to support former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election after previously indicating he would support Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder was pressed about the issue when he was given a virtual interview Tuesday by Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait at the Bloomberg Qatar Economic Forum in Doha.
At first Musk dodged the question but when asked again directly if he would support Trump, he replied: “I guess I’m undecided at this point about that election.”
The billionaire has described himself as a moderate in recent years, but has shown a shift to conservatism in recent months. His political allegiance became even more apparent in a barrage of tweets last week in which he indicated his support for DeSantis.
However, in bloomberg In an interview on Tuesday, Musk was asked to clarify his tweet about potentially creating a “Super Moderate Super PAC” that supports political candidates with centrist views.
Musk initially said he would invest a “non-trivial amount” and when pressed for an exact amount, said he would be willing to spend “$20 million or $25 million” if he decided to go ahead with the idea.
Elon Musk says he is “undecided” about whether to support Trump for a 2024 presidential bid after previously indicating he would support Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Speaking at a conference in Madeira Beach last week, Ron DeSantis commented on the news of potential support for Musk with a joke that poked fun at the South African billionaire’s heritage.
Musk revealed last Tuesday that he voted Republican for the first time, casting his ballot for freshman Texas congresswoman Maya Flores.
The world’s richest man has continued to tout the win as a triumph, while predicting a massive red wave in next November’s midterm elections.
“I voted for Myra Flores — first time I voted Republican,” Musk wrote.
“A huge red wave in 2022,” Kotb added.
Then, when asked who the support leans toward in 2024, the tech billionaire replied simply: “DeSantis.”
Musk was also asked what he thought of Andrew Yang, who is running in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. “I supported Yang last time, but DeSantis has a better chance of winning,” he said.
Musk kicked off his social media post by revealing that he voted red for the first time last Tuesday, in celebration of the victory of freshman Texas Congresswoman Maya Flores (pictured)
Musk announced last week that he was tipping DeSantis as a potential president, after being asked about his preferences regarding the next head of state.
Speaking at a conference in Madeira Beach on Wednesday, DeSantis commented on the news of possible support for Musk with a joke that played with the legacy of the South African billionaire.
“I’m focused on 2022,” the governor quipped to a reporter, “but I welcome support from African Americans.”
The well-timed remarks sparked laughter from the crowd, and added to the fervor surrounding DeSantis’ rumored presidential aspirations.
Musk, who has described himself as a moderate in recent years but has shown a shift to conservatism in recent months, made his political allegiance clear in a barrage of tweets last week, revealing that he voted Republican for the first time on Tuesday.
Musk was also asked what he thought of Andrew Yang, who is running in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. “I supported Yang last time, but DeSantis has a better chance of winning,” he said.
The unexpected endorsement came as DeSantis continued to emerge as a central figure in the ongoing culture wars between the awakened left and those with other political ideologies.
DeSantis, a conservative known for his anti-wake-up politics, has not announced a bid for the 2024 White House, but it is widely believed that he is considering one.
He was criticized earlier this year for signing the Parental Rights Act into law banning public schools from teaching subjects related to gender identity and sexual orientation to children under 10 – which the left dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay Bill”.
Meanwhile, Musk, a staunch libertarian and businessman who has seen his wealth balloon during the pandemic, has shown a shift toward the political right, having previously been heralded by progressives as a new breed of entrepreneur.
Former President Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis at a campaign rally in 2018. Musk indicated he would support DeSantis if he ran for Florida governor in 2024 and said he was “hesitant” about supporting Trump.
Musk’s changing political views were highlighted in April, after he announced his intention to buy a majority stake in Twitter for $44 billion.
His bid to buy Twitter for $54.20 per share was announced on April 14.
On Tuesday, Twitter’s board of directors unanimously recommended that shareholders approve the proposed $44 billion sale of the company, according to a regulatory filing.
Musk reiterated his desire to move forward with the acquisition last week during a virtual meeting with Twitter employees, even though Twitter shares are still well below the offer price, indicating high doubt that this will happen.
Shares rose about 3% to $38.98 before the opening bell on Tuesday, well below the $54.20 per share offered by Musk. The company’s stock last reached that level on April 5 when it offered Musk a seat on the board before he offered to buy Twitter outright.
In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday detailing dumpsters for investors, Twitter’s board said it “unanimously recommends that you vote (for) adoption of the merger agreement.” ”
If the deal closes now, investors in the company will receive a profit of $15.22 for each share they own.
Musk reiterated his desire to move forward with the acquisition last week during a virtual meeting with Twitter employees, even though Twitter shares are still well below the offer price.
Many Democrats and liberals worry that Musk’s vision of Twitter will allow more disinformation to be spread on the platform.
Meanwhile, Republican politicians and those leaning on the right hailed his potential takeover as a victory for free speech.
Some Republican figures are hoping to see GOP accounts reinstated on the platform, having previously been banned — particularly that of President Donald Trump.
However, those hopes were dashed when Musk announced the takeover was put on hold a week later, citing concerns about fake Twitter accounts.
Then Musk shocked the world even more when he announced that he would switch political allegiances and vote Republican in the upcoming election due to the San Francisco corporation’s liberal bias.
Speaking via video link at the Tech Summit in Miami, Florida in May, hosted by the All-In podcast, Musk confirmed that he would change his vote.
“The reality is that Twitter at this point, as you know, has a very far left bias,” Musk told the audience. “I would classify myself as a moderate, neither Republican nor Democrat.”
Musk has continued to stress that he has voted “overwhelmingly” for Democrats in the past.
I have voted overwhelmingly Democrat, historically. As I’m not sure, I probably never voted Republican, just to be clear, Musk said. Then he announced: “Now I will do this election.”
Speaking via video link at the Tech Summit in Miami in May (pictured), hosted by the All-In podcast, Musk confirmed he would change his vote from a Democrat to a Republican.
inside He stated that he did not clarify whether he meant that he would vote for the final Republican candidate during the 2024 presidential election, or for the Republican Party candidate in the middle of next November.
Musk, the top CEO at Tesla and founder of SpaceX, has a net worth of about $209 billion — $86 billion of that of the world’s second richest man, Jeff Bezos.
For a guy so wealthy, Musk’s history of Florida political donations to DeSantis is rather slim — not to mention bipartisan.
In 2014, he donated a similar $2,500 to each of the men running for governor that year: Democrat Charlie Crist and then Republican Governor Rick Scott.
In 2010, US Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz gave $1,000 in 2010.
In 2006, Musk donated at least $5,000 to Democratic Senator Bill Nelson, also of Florida.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio has also given away at least $15,200 over the years.
