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Donald Trump, one of the world’s richest men, appeared in Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday in Palm Beach, Florida, as he sought urgent cash to support his presidential campaign, according to three people briefed on the situation. Elon Musk and several wealthy Republican donors. The meeting spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private discussions.
Trump and his team are working to find additional major donors to shore up their finances ahead of the expected general election with President Biden. Mr. Trump has praised Mr. Musk among his allies and hopes to speak one-on-one with Mr. Musk soon, according to people who have discussed the matter with Mr. Trump.
It is not yet clear whether Mr. Musk intends to use any part of his fortune for Mr. Trump. But Musk’s recent social media posts suggest he believes it is imperative that Biden lose in November, and people who have spoken to him privately say , admitted that that’s exactly what Musk thinks.
With a net worth of about $200 billion, according to Forbes, Musk’s decision to support Trump has almost single-handedly lifted what is expected to be an enormous economic advantage for Biden and his allies. There is a possibility that it will be cancelled. Beyond the former president.
Trump aides did not respond to requests for comment. Mr. Musk did not respond to requests for comment.
Mr. Musk has long described himself as an independent-minded person and, like many business leaders, has donated to candidates of both parties over the years. Unlike other U.S. billionaires, he has not spent heavily on presidential campaigns, and his donations have been split almost evenly between Democrats and Republicans over the years. Musk’s businesses Tesla and SpaceX have benefited from federal contracts and subsidies.
A person close to Mr. Musk said his relationship with the government has historically made him wary of drawing too much distinction between one party and the other. In 2017, Trump famously withdrew from two business advisory councils while he was president over his decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord.
“Climate change is real,” Musk tweeted in June 2017, adding that “leaving Paris is bad for America and bad for the world.”
There were other moments of friction between the two sides. In the summer of 2022, months before the midterm elections, Musk and the former president exchanged insults, with Trump taunting Musk and Musk saying it was time for the former president to “sail off into the sunset.” Ta.
But at the same time, Musk was becoming more open about his preference for the Republican Party.
On the eve of the midterm elections, he told his more than 100 million followers on X, the website called Twitter until Musk bought it in 2022, that they should vote. republican congress. He blasted what he called the left’s “woke” policies and attacked Biden over the record number of immigrants who entered the United States during his presidency.
Musk’s comments on immigration are becoming increasingly alarming. He suggested that the president’s immigration policies threaten America’s very existence and push American democracy to the brink. He suggested that Democrats are “sending in huge numbers of illegals” to steal the election. There is no evidence to support his claims of massive voting fraud.
“If America tries to absorb the world, America will collapse,” Musk posted on X on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, he posted that the Biden administration’s immigration policies amounted to “treason.”
A person close to Mr. Musk, speaking on condition of anonymity, said his views on immigration would be a big motivator if he were to support Mr. Trump.
Musk has previously questioned Biden’s age and once echoed one of Trump’s favorite jabs, saying the president:still sleeping” after Biden failed to congratulate one of his companies. Musk also holds a grudge against the president for the White House’s failure to invite Tesla to an event on electric vehicles in August 2021.
“Let’s not forget that the White House gave Tesla the cold shoulder and excluded us from the EV Summit,” Tesla CEO Musk said. Posted in X During December.
Musk visited the White House in September to discuss issues surrounding artificial intelligence, according to NBC News, which obtained visitor records. Biden and Musk did not meet during this visit.
After acquiring Twitter in October 2022, Musk reinstated Trump’s account. The former president was barred from the stage after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, a decision Musk has previously suggested was a mistake.
Still, it was unclear whether Musk would support Trump’s candidacy for president. Before the Republican nomination race, Musk had indicated that he would support Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Mr. DeSantis formally launched his candidacy last May with a livestreamed audio discussion with Mr. Musk on It spread. But that was never the case.
Musk on Monday appeared to criticize TV host Bill Maher, who said in a clip posted to X that he would vote for Biden over Trump under almost any circumstances.
“Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) is a very real disease,” Musk wrote. response With X.
Even if Mr. Musk ultimately decides not to donate to a pro-Trump super PAC or use the funds in other ways to help Mr. Trump, his own megaphone is considerable. Musk has 175 million followers on X and has the ability to shape coverage in the United States.
kitty bennett contributed to research.
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