On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk would be donating $45 million a month – $180 million from July through October – to America PAC, a political action committee dedicated to reelecting former President Donald Trump.
“This is the final straw,” Musk wrote on X , adding that he told California Gov. Gavin Newsom last year that affirming laws like this one would lead to an exodus of families who want to “protect their children.”
To me, none of the mogul’s recent moves are surprising. They will, however, affect how the presidential election plays out – and possibly assist in reelecting Trump. That should concern all of us because of the power owning X gives him and his willingness to wield it.
Musk has been trending right for years. This just makes it official.
Tesla and X (formerly Twitter) CEO Elon Musk speaks with other delegates on Day 1 of the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in Bletchley, Britain on Nov. 1, 2023. Leon Neal / Pool via REUTERS
Musk wasn’t always a right-wing demagogue, but it has been part of his public persona for a few years.
Despite these previous inklings of liberalism – including, at one point, describing himself as a “ socialist ” – Musk has been trending to the right and donating to Republicans for years.
It’s especially visible in Musk’s takeover of Twitter, now X. We're talking about the same guy who interacts with antisemitic content and barred the use of the word “ cisgender ” because of his own hang-ups about trans people.
His determination to make the site less “woke” led to the 2022 reinstatement of Trump’s account and, according to a Washington Post analysis, an increased popularity of right-wing figures on the platform.
All of this makes sense for Musk as he continues down his path as a far-right influencer and general social media troll. You only have to look as far as his personal social media and overzealous fanbase to see the overlap between his cult of personality and the far right.
This is something that should concern everyone, even those of us who don't particularly care what Musk has to say about politics.
Musk puts business over everything, and right now, he thinks Trump is good for business
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. Brendan McDermid
I’m not shocked that Musk has made a hard pivot toward the Republican Party. He’s been telling us who he is for a while now. And as much as he complains about the left, it’s unlikely that liberals are solely responsible for driving Musk away from the Democrats and out of California.
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It’s also highly likely that his plans to leave California are business-minded, as well. In moving X and SpaceX to Texas, he also leaves behind California’s corporate tax rate and labor laws. He’s already seen the benefits since moving Tesla’s headquarters to Austin.
What's concerning is how he may influence others.
Aside from owning one of the largest social media platforms in the world, he has a loyal fanbase that follows his every move. With his huge contributions to Trump's reelection and a bully pulpit to opine from, there's no telling how much he will affect the upcoming presidential election.
Musk has always been a political force – he's just being more open about it.
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