Elon Musk actually needs former President Donald Trump and his vice presidential choose, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, to prevail this November.
The mercurial billionaire gave his endorsement to Trump, simply minutes after the GOP presidential candidate was almost assassinated on July 13.
Since then, Musk has solely doubled down on Trump and his newly minted operating mate, Vance on his social media platform, X.
“My smartest mates, together with these residing within the San Francisco Bay Space who’ve been lifelong Dems, are enthusiastic about Trump/Vance,” Musk wrote in an X put up on Sunday.
I consider in an America that maximizes particular person freedom and benefit.
That was once the Democratic Occasion, however now the pendulum has swung to the Republican Occasion.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2024
Apart from campaigning for Trump on his personal X account, Musk has even gone as far as to proposition his fellow tech billionaires after President Joe Biden mentioned that he was dropping out of the race.
The president mentioned in an X put up on Sunday that he was endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee as an alternative.
However Biden stepping apart as an alternative prompted Musk to succeed in out to Democratic donors like early OpenAI backer Vinod Khosla and Netflix cofounder, Reed Hastings.
Each Khosla and Hastings have been calling for the Democratic Occasion to select an appropriate substitute for Biden when Musk jumped in and made a pitch for the Trump-Vance ticket.
Musk made the same overture to LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman after the latter endorsed Harris.
Come on, Vinod. Trump/Vance LFG!!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2024
“I am not suggesting that Trump is with out flaws, nonetheless we’d like an administration that’s extra prone to be meritocratic and promote particular person freedoms over the heavy hand of presidency,” Musk advised Khosla after the enterprise capitalist replied and expressed his misgivings about Trump.
The potential change in Democratic nominee to Harris hasn’t swayed Musk, who began criticizing her candidacy on Sunday.
“Think about 4 years of this …” Musk wrote in an X put up about Harris. Musk was mocking Harris’ opening remarks at assembly, the place she was heard introducing herself as a “girl sitting on the desk carrying a blue go well with.”
It is value noting that the video Musk referenced was a clip of Harris from July 2022, the place she was presiding over a gathering with incapacity advocates. Her remarks have been meant to accommodate visually impaired assembly attendees.
Musk’s pro-Trump bluster might not have the impact he is hoping for, consultants say
Daniel Hallin, a professor emeritus learning political communication at UC San Diego, says it is not unusual for billionaires like Musk to weigh in on politics, giving how very important cash is to political races.
“I believe it is sensible that Musk helps Trump; they’re related in some ways, narcissistic, macho, and inclined to consider themselves as above any sort of guidelines of the sport. And I believe Musk sees Trump as somebody who will let billionaires be billionaires, preserve their taxes low, not hassle them with laws or authorized scrutiny,” Hallin advised BI.
Hallin added that Musk “in all probability thinks Trump is prone to win and needs to have a good friend in energy, each as a result of it’s enjoyable to be an insider, and since he has numerous enterprise pursuits which might be affected by authorities.”
As for Musk’s assist, Hallin advised BI the “partisan” bluster on X is probably not nice for Musk’s enterprise in the long term — nevertheless it will not transfer the needle for many who already assist Trump.
“You would possibly suppose it might undermine Trump’s populist picture, however I do not suppose his supporters care — I believe they’re comfy with the thought of a billionaire populist,” Hallin advised Enterprise Insider.
Jonathan Aronson, a communications professor on the USC Annenberg Faculty for Communication and Journalism, advised BI there’s a cause why Musk’s being so overt about his assist for Trump.
“Musk hates authorities regulators telling him what he can and can’t do — therefore his exit to Texas,” Aronson advised BI. “Trump will not pursue him. Trump stokes his ego.”
Aronson added that youths and minorities may rally to a Harris-led Democratic ticket — nevertheless it probably will not simply be due to Musk and his allies’ assist for Trump.
Representatives for Musk didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from BI despatched exterior common enterprise hours.
