Elon Musk says he will not directly support Joe Biden or Donald Trump in the US elections in November, but his messages on X (formerly Twitter) leave no doubt about his Republican affinities.
Donald Trump, for his part, needs money: burdened by millions of dollars with his legal woes, he is engaged in a campaign for the most expensive election in the history of the United States.
Elon Musk is one of the richest people in the world: could he come to the rescue of the former head of state?
In a recent interview with former CNN anchor Don Lemon, the owner of Tesla, SpaceX and he contributes to a campaign.
If he chooses to support a candidate, he will provide “a very detailed explanation” of his reasons, Elon Musk said.
To careful observers, this statement seems more measured than the firm commitment made a few days earlier to stay out of the fray.
According to Washington PostElon Musk qualified his approach at a time when Donald Trump was touring his billionaire friends by telephone, in the hope that they would take out their checkbooks.
Not that the former president likes having to appeal to people richer than him, but he is lagging behind Joe Biden in fundraising, with seven months of campaigning still remaining.
The two men are among the world’s most famous and controversial figures, but they haven’t always been on the same page.
Breakfast for Billionaires
Donald Trump has long ridiculed electric cars – like those produced by Tesla – saying they are impractical and dependent on government subsidies.
During the Trump presidency, from 2016 to 2020, Musk kept his distance. In any case, he had not yet publicly shifted to the extreme right.
And even since he displays largely pro-Republican views, he has mostly flirted with alternative candidates in right-wing party primaries, like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, before they came out. of the race.
Political observers believe that Donald Trump, usually very angry with anyone who does not support him 100%, has remained silent about Elon Musk’s transgressions in the hope of getting his money.
THE Washington Post revealed that Elon Musk attended a billionaires breakfast in Florida last month, during which the former White House tenant introduced a group of donors.
This caused intense speculation, but Elon Musk assured that “it was just breakfast” and that nothing else came of it.
If the boss wanted to help the Republican candidate more directly, he could give him unlimited funds anonymously, in accordance with US election laws.
This controversial financial system makes it possible to finance an incognito candidate via non-profit organizations specially created for this purpose. They can run ads that literally say, “Vote for Trump,” without having to disclose their funding sources.
“Erratic billionaire”
Elon Musk could also help the Republican by helping him erase his debts after the election, and thus avoid irritating the current president.
Another recent rumor: Donald Trump would have proposed to the businessman to buy his social network Truth Social and combine it with X.
Truth Social’s parent company went public last week, and shares soared on Wall Street.
Donald Trump, who owns nearly 80 million shares in the company, now has assets estimated at several billion, at least on paper. Financial experts warn that this mega-valuation could vanish if he ever tried to sell his shares.
Even without a tangible contribution, Elon Musk’s positions give Donald Trump an obvious boost.
On X, he regularly supports and relays unfounded conspiracy theories, false information and right-wing speeches aligned with those of Donald Trump, particularly on immigration.
All without external control, since X belongs to it and it has largely relaxed content moderation.
“The combination of these creates an explosive moment for us, where Twitter (X) is in the hands of an erratic, bored billionaire using it to promote his own views,” said Nora Benavidez, senior advisor to the NGO Free Press.
Dollars or not, “Musk’s influence is incredibly powerful,” she added.