He announced his support on July 13, just after the first assassination attempt that narrowly missed costing the former president his life, during a meeting in Butler, Pennsylvania. But it was on October 5 that at the same place, where Donald Trump was organizing a new rally, Elon Musk appeared alongside him to announce how he was going to help him.
To date, he has donated $120 million to America PAC, the political action committee that financially aids the Trump candidacy. He also created a lottery that offers one million dollars to a lucky activist chosen at random registered on the electoral rolls who signed a petition in support of the American constitution (and in particular its first two amendments on freedom of expression and the right to bear arms). So far, fourteen lucky people have benefited from it. A borderline process: Elon Musk is described by his detractors as buying voters' votes to elect Trump.
The Justice Department sent him a warning, but no one expects him to go any further. Thursday, October 31, the billionaire obtained the postponement after the election of the trial brought by Larry Krasner, prosecutor (Democrat) of Philadelphia. Musk was absent at the hearing, but the judge, who had demanded his presence, did not hold it against him: “he is not going to take a rocket to land on the roof of the building”, cut the magistrate off to the protests of the prosecution.
He voted Democratic for a long time.
For a long time, Elon Musk voted Democratic and “loved” the very progressive California where Tesla’s headquarters were located. But this big mouth has always annoyed a lot of people, especially on the left. In August 2021, Joe Biden organized a summit on electric cars at the White House and “failed” to invite it even though Tesla is the world's leading manufacturer in this area. Musk Fury. According to the Wall Street Journal, this affront is the reason for his break with the Democrats. In December 2021, he moved Tesla's headquarters to Austin, capital of Texas, a very right-wing state.
So here he is, a Republican, but not yet a Trumpist. Last year, he again called Donald Trump a “loser” and advised him to “retire in the sun”. In March 2023, he launched the campaign of Ron DeSantis, the former president's unsuccessful rival in the Republican primary, during a conversation on X (formerly Twitter) which was cut short due to technical problems.
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His son's transition made him change sides
His radicalization to the right can also be explained by the transition of his son who became a woman at the age of 16. He publicly stated his disagreement, which led to him being accused of “cruelty” by Vivian Jenna Wilson, who is now his daughter, now 20 years old.
In this context, Musk suddenly became a fan of Trump. According to the “New York Times”, Elon Musk even said “I love Trump” to one of his close friends. He praises her courage and sense of humor.
At the beginning of October, he set down his bags in Pittsburgh, in the west of Pennsylvania, a strategic state whose 19 voters can swing the election in one direction or the other. There, he set up a “war room” from where he himself piloted operations aimed essentially at pushing Republicans to go to the polling station. He also goes into the field and organizes meetings with voters. Last Sunday, he was one of Trump's star guests at Madison Square Garden in front of 20,000 people. And according to the Wall Street Journal, he puts topics and conspiracy theories favorable to the Republican candidate.
If he is elected, Trump will be able to say thank you. He promised him an audit mission on the federal administration. At the head of a new “department of government efficiency”, Musk would work for free: the richest man in the world with a fortune of 260 billion dollars, he does not need a salary. He claims to have one objective: to save $2,000 billion in federal public spending…
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