Musk Trump talks to Donald Trump multiple times a month on a wide range of topics, according to a new report. wall street journal. Although Musk has Deny the rumors While he may donate to the former president, new reports suggest Musk is working behind the scenes to ensure that his businesses will benefit if Trump is re-elected in November.
Given that the billionaire tech mogul said in 2022 that Trump should “sailing into the sunset”. But a lot has changed over the past two years, including Musk’s increasingly bizarre obsession Illegal immigrantBack in 2015, the issue first established Trump as a serious Republican contender.
From the journal:
The two discussed immigration, technology and science, including the U.S. Space Force. Their views and interests became more aligned, and Musk called Trump directly on his cell phone, people familiar with the matter said.
According to the Wall Street Journal, recent talks between the two also involved Musk’s companies, including SpaceX, Tesla and X. This makes sense when you remember how reliant Musk’s companies are on government funding. SpaceX has numerous contracts with the military and intelligence agencies, while Tesla benefits significantly from electric vehicle tax credits.
The new report states that Musk and Trump discussed EV credits and the EV industry more broadly, citing people close to Trump, which is odd because the former president recently said he Want to stop all electric car sales In the U.S
Musk also asked Trump to return to X, a platform that Trump was banned from in the days after the failed coup attempt on January 6, 2021. But Trump thinks it makes sense. Trump lost his bullhorn after the insurrection, and the former president seemed determined not to lose his voice if things turned violent again.
Trump too Make money with Truth Social, a platform he created to ensure no one could silence him. According to US media reports, the Trump Media and Technology Group owned by Truth Social lost approximately US$300 million last quarter. Associated Press.
Musk did not respond to emailed questions Wednesday, but the Trump campaign released a statement defending the former president’s authority while trying to tie him to Musk.
“President Trump will be the only voice on what role an individual will play in his presidency,” Brian Hughes, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, told Gizmodo in an email.
“But it has been widely reported and documented in multiple ways that many of America’s most important technology and innovation leaders are concerned that Biden is failing to handle our economy and overburdening innovators to the detriment of their industries. Government bureaucrats doctrine and ruthless policing,” Hughes continued.
Musk has previously said he was a Democrat and claimed he voted for a Republican in the election. First time in 2022. But regardless of Musk’s political history, he appears to be fully committed to Trumpism. While Musk may not personally donate to Trump’s campaign, he is working to get Trump elected by lobbying powerful people to help him regain the White House.
Musk has even teamed up with billionaire investor Nelson Peltz on some kind of “data-driven” project to combat alleged election fraud. The issue has been at the forefront of Trump’s mind ever since the former president falsely claimed that he actually won the 2020 election. However, details surrounding the ballot items appear to be sparse.
From the journal:
Musk and Peltz told acquaintances they were working on a large data-driven project to ensure a fair count, echoing Trump’s accusations of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Trump’s own attorney general, Bill Barr, dismissed those claims about the 2020 election. Trump’s campaign and its allies have lost dozens of lawsuits challenging the election results.
Musk and Peltz described the initiative to Trump during a March meeting, according to a person familiar with the matter. Further details about the anti-fraud efforts were not immediately clear.
All we know for sure is that Musk is fully on board the Trump train. If Trump wins in November – it’s a very distinct possibility National polls look— Musk can play an important role in guiding the country.
7:38 PM ET: Updated with comment from the Trump campaign.