Throughout a rally in Michigan on Saturday, Donald Trump had excessive reward for Elon Musk, calling the Tesla CEO a “nice” and “good man.”
However the former president added that he did not know concerning the tech billionaire’s reported plan to donate $45 million a month to a pro-Trump tremendous PAC that can assist his marketing campaign. The Wall Avenue Journal, citing nameless sources, reported the plan.
Musk got here out with an endorsement of Trump on July 13, the day of the assassination try. Though he has repeatedly proven a rightward shift in his politics, the Tesla CEO had been silent on his most well-liked candidate till not too long ago.
Trump praised Musk on the Saturday rally.
“Elon. I really like Elon Musk. Can we love him?” Trump requested a cheering crowd. “I really like him.”
The previous president mentioned that “we’ve to make life good for our sensible individuals” like Musk however added that he did not know concerning the giant donation plan and solely learn the report about it.
“I learn — I did not even know this, he did not even inform me about it, however he offers me $45 million a month,” Trump mentioned. “I talked to him just a bit whereas in the past to say, ‘I used to be coming right here. The way you doing?’ And he did not even point out it.”
Musk and a spokesperson for Trump didn’t return a request for remark from Enterprise Insider.
After the Journal printed the story about Musk’s donation plans, Musk responded with a meme with the caption, “FAKE GNUS.” Nonetheless, he additionally responded “Yeah” to a publish from an X account that mentioned, “Elon Musk went from being an Obama voter to pledging $180 million to elect DJT. The woke left actually f*cked up. Badly.”
On the floor, Musk’s growing gravitation towards Trump would seem at odds with their very own pursuits: one runs a profitable electrical automobile firm that has benefited from authorities subsidies, whereas the opposite is making EVs a political sticking level.
Through the Saturday rally, Trump mentioned he thinks electrical vehicles are “unimaginable, however they are not for everyone.”
“Some individuals should drive lengthy distances, and so they are usually costlier,” he mentioned.
The previous president mentioned later within the rally that he plans to remove the “electrical automobile mandate on day one,” though the Biden administration has not applied such a mandate.
Some critics say the stricter emissions rules issued by the Environmental Safety Company in March drive automakers to make electrical autos a big a part of their gross sales.
Nonetheless, the Journal reported that Trump’s appraisal of electrical autos in latest weeks whereas bashing any potential authorities mandate round them represents a shift in tone from the previous president.
Musk, for his half, has given Trump his platform again on Twitter-turned-X — although Trump has solely posted on the account just a few occasions — and mentioned earlier this week that he helps taking away authorities subsidies.
“Take away the subsidies. It would solely assist Tesla,” Musk mentioned on X on July 16. “Additionally, take away subsidies from all industries.”
