Elon Musk She has spoken to Donald Trump about a wide range of topics “several times a month.” The Wall Street JournalAnd Musk said: Denying the rumors Musk has said he might donate to the former president, but new reports suggest he is working behind the scenes to ensure his company stands to benefit if Trump is re-elected in November.
Musk’s friendly relationship with Trump comes after the billionaire tech mogul announced in 2022 that Trump “Sail into the sunsetBut a lot has changed in the past two years, including Musk’s increasingly strange obsessions. Illegal immigrationThe issue helped propel Trump to first become a leading Republican candidate in 2015.
From the journal:
The two men have discussed immigration, technology, science and the U.S. Space Force, among other topics. According to people familiar with the matter, the two men’s views and interests have become more aligned, with Musk even calling President Trump directly on his mobile phone.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the two men’s recent talks have also involved Musk’s companies, including SpaceX, Tesla and X. That’s not surprising, given how dependent Musk’s companies are on government funding: SpaceX has major contracts with the military and intelligence agencies, while Tesla is a major beneficiary of EV tax credits.
A new report cites a person close to Trump as saying Musk and Trump discussed EV credits and the electric vehicle industry more broadly, following the former president’s recent comments: I want to stop all EV sales. In the United States
Musk also called on Trump to return to Platform X, from which Trump was banned days after the January 6, 2021 coup attempt. Of course, that was before Musk owned any social media platforms, but it’s understandable that Trump would be wary of rejoining a platform he doesn’t control. Trump lost his megaphone after the riots, but the former president seems determined not to lose his voice if things turn violent again.
Trump also Make big money with Truth SocialTrump launched the platform to ensure no one could silence him. Truth Social’s owner, Trump Media and Technology Group, lost about $300 million last quarter. Associated Press.
Musk did not respond to emailed questions on Wednesday, but the Trump campaign released a statement asserting the former president’s authority and trying to link him to Musk.
“President Trump will have sole say over what role individuals play in the presidency,” Brian Hughes, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, told Gizmodo in an email.
“But as has been widely reported and documented in many ways, many of the nation’s most important technology and innovation leaders are concerned that Biden’s bungled economic package and efforts to overburden innovators with government bureaucracy and unrelenting regulation will harm their industry,” Hughes continued.
Musk has previously said he was once a Democrat but claimed he voted Republican for president. Early 2022But whatever Musk’s political background, he seems committed to Trumpism. And while he may not be personally donating money to Trump’s campaign, he is lobbying key players to help Trump win the White House.
Musk is partnering with billionaire investor Nelson Peltz on a “data-driven” project to fight election fraud — an issue of great importance to Trump since the former president has falsely claimed he actually won the 2020 election — but details about the voting project appear to be scarce.
From the journal:
Musk and Peltz have told acquaintances they are working on a massive data-driven project to ensure votes are counted fairly, and they have echoed Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was riddled with fraud. Trump’s Attorney General Bill Barr has denied those claims about the 2020 election. The Trump campaign and its allies have lost dozens of lawsuits challenging the election results.
Mr. Musk and Mr. Peltz briefed Mr. Trump on the initiative during a meeting in March, according to a person familiar with the matter. Details of the anti-fraud efforts were not available.
What we do know for sure is that Musk is all for Trump, and that’s very likely if Trump wins in November. In a national opinion poll—Musk could play a key role in steering the country.
7:38 PM ET: Updated with comments from the Trump campaign.
