Elon Musk claims his atypical side.
He is proud of it.
His detractors may say they have "Musk fatigue", but the richest man in the world seems not to listen to them. The closer we get to November's midterm elections, the more they're going to have to get used to hearing Tesla's (TSLA) chief executive officer speak out about politics and the candidates he supports.
The tech tycoon has been painstakingly preparing the ground for this transformation for several months now. He began by inviting himself into global geopolitical affairs, being the first boss to publicly take a stand for the Ukraine when it was invaded on February 24 by Russia.
Musk went on to contribute some big bucks, like sending Starlink satellite internet terminals to Ukrainians to keep them connected to the world.
He later turned inward, stepping up his criticism of the Biden administration for ignoring Tesla for more than a year while the Democratic president's agenda pushes for clean energy and electric vehicles.
The serial entrepreneur then launched a $44 billion bid to acquire the social network Twitter (TWTR), which he considers the de facto Times Square of our time. He immediately promised that he would reinstate former Republican President Donald Trump, who was banned from the platform after the events of January 6, 2021.
He then became a darling of Republicans and conservatives alike by promising that his Twitter would tolerate all posts as long as they don't violate the law of the country the user is in.
Biden and Trump Too Old?
These various positions have caused an outcry from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, experts and even tech peers and billionaires like Bill Gates. They all fear that such a policy will resurrect bullying, racism, and misinformation on Twitter.
These criticisms have not changed Musk's mind, who accuses progressives of having become extremists. The billionaire thus announced that he would vote Republican in the midterm elections. He did, however, let it be known that he had voted Democratic in the past, twice for Barack Obama and even for Joe Biden in 2020.
But Musk had still not committed to 2024. The only statement he made was that he would vote neither for Trump, whom he considers too divisive, nor for Biden.
The billionaire has confirmed this decision by pleading on various occasions on the limitation of the age at which one can stand for election in order to automatically eliminate Biden and Trump.
Biden will turn 80 in November. He will be 82 at the time of the election in 2024. Donald Trump turns 76 in June. The former president will be over 78 when the next White House election comes around.
Musk is 50 and can't run for president because he was not born on American soil, one of the criteria for being an eligible candidate.
The World's Richest Man Will Vote for Ron DeSantis
Musk just revealed which candidate he would vote for in the 2024 presidential election. That candidate is Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.
It all started with a tweet in which the billionaire entrepreneur, who has been living in Texas since last year, revealed that he had voted for a Republican candidate, a first in the local elections.
Musk then predicted a Republican wave in the midterm elections.
"I voted for Mayra Flores – first time I ever voted Republican," the charismatic and whimsical CEO of Tesla wrote to his 98 million followers on June 15. "Massive red wave in 2022."
When the Tesla fan club account that Musk recently gave an interview to asked him if his local Republican vote meant he was going to vote for a Republican for president, the billionaire was initially undecided.
"tbd," (To be Determined) Musk responded.
Tesla fans came back to him asking who he would lean towards, and Musk said "DeSantis," referring to Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor of Florida.
Another fan then asked him what he thought of former Democratic candidate Andrew Yang. And that's where Musk revealed one of the reasons he supported DeSantis.
"I supported Yang last time, but DeSantis has a better chance of winning," Musk explained.
Ron DeSantis, 43, who has already raised more than $100 million, is gearing up for the 2024 presidential run, according to reports. At the start of his mandate almost four years ago, the governor played a moderate card, fighting against the green algae that polluted Florida beaches and banning oil extraction.
But he has hardened his speech since.
He is one of the few governors to have refused strict lockdown at the start of the pandemic. He threw himself fully into the cultural fight, a crucial issue in the confrontation with the Democrats, probably more than the economy.
On March 28, he signed a law dubbed "Don't say gay", which prohibits kindergarten and primary school teachers from discussing the sexual orientation and identity of gender.
DeSantis is running for governor for a second term and the polls put him ahead.
