Elon Musk became the latest billionaire to jump to Donald Trump’s defense on Friday following the former president’s conviction of falsifying business records in relation to hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.
The Tesla CEO fired off a post on X early Friday morning, calling the decision “motivated by politics, rather than justice,” and warning that a conviction over “such a trivial matter” did serious damage to the public's faith in the American legal system.
The comment was posted in response to another X user lamenting that the first felony conviction of an American president was for a “$130,000 payment for a porn star’s NDA,” rather than “illegal CIA coups, drone striking weddings, or spying on Americans.”
Indeed, great damage was done today to the public’s faith in the American legal system.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 31, 2024
If a former President can be criminally convicted over such a trivial matter – motivated by politics, rather than justice – then anyone is at risk of a similar fate. https://t.co/zrHCyIZazh
The day before, hedge fund CEO Bill Ackman weighed in on the verdict as well, decrying it as politically motivated.
Following a post on X by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis calling the verdict “a testament to the political debasement of the justice system in places like New York City,” Ackman chimed in that “any objective person would have to agree with Gov. Ron DeSantis here.” Musk also replied to the Florida governor’s post with an affirmative “well said.”
Today’s verdict represents the culmination of a legal process that has been bent to the political will of the actors involved: a leftist prosecutor, a partisan judge and a jury reflective of one of the most liberal enclaves in America—all in an effort to “get” Donald Trump.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 30, 2024
That…
Trump himself has also railed against the decision, declaring in a statement following the verdict that the trial was “rigged” and referring to himself as a “very innocent man.” He plans to appeal the decision.
On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk and Trump have had preliminary talks about an advisory position for Musk should the former president win a second term. Though the role might never materialize, Musk would potentially have sway in the White House on matters of border security and the economy.
Musk and Trump have had a rocky relationship at best, but appear to have grown closer in recent years as the Tesla CEO has vigorously railed against Biden and Democrats. In 2022, Musk commented that Biden was “a sock puppet” and said that he would no longer support the Democratic Party. Just this month he denounced the Biden administration’s decision to place tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Earlier this year, Musk declared that he would not be donating to either major party’s candidate.
