Elon Musk Vows to Not Donate to ‘Either Candidate’ After Meeting With Cash-Strapped Trump

Sarah RumpfMar 6th, 2024, 11:59 am
 
Elon Musk

Hannibal Hanschke/Pool via AP

Elon Musk posted on The Platform Formerly Known as Twitter that he would not be “donating money to either candidate for US President” in the wake of a report by The New York Times that former President Donald Trump had met with him and other wealthy Republican donors over the weekend.

The Times article by Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan, and Ryan Mac reported that Trump “is urgently seeking a cash infusion to aid his presidential campaign” and cited three sources saying that Trump had met with Musk and other wealthy donors in Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday.

Musk, the world’s richest man, has noticeably taken a rightward slant to his political views, writing posts and making comments widely viewed as advocating for President Joe Biden’s defeat. He infamously set up a technologically-disastrous Twitter Space for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to launch his own presidential campaign last May, has cheered fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s decampment to his own platform, and engaged with numerous right-wing accounts to criticize the Biden White House.

“It’s not yet clear whether Mr. Musk plans to spend any of his fortune on Mr. Trump’s behalf,” reported the Times Tuesday, noting Musk’s recent posts “suggest he thinks it’s essential that Mr. Biden be defeated in November — and people who have spoken to Mr. Musk privately confirmed that is indeed his view.”

Musk himself made it clear — well, somewhat — with a post Wednesday morning.

“Just to be super clear,” he wrote, “I am not donating money to either candidate for US President.”

Of course, as multiple people pointed out, that specific choice of words does not rule out donating to a super PAC involved in the race, and that’s where someone with Musk’s financial resources could have a far bigger impact, unrestrained by federal campaign contribution limits.

With his ownership of the platform he rebranded as X and more than 175 million followers, Musk also has the ability to amplify messages that are positive or negative for candidates of his choice, including promoting misinformation and conspiracy theories, as he has done frequently since he was forced to honor his contract to purchase Twitter.

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.