Elon Musk has come out of the (political) closet.
The Tesla (TSLA) CEO, who had gone several hours without saying something provocative, tweeted Wednesday afternoon what many had begun to suspect.
After pointedly criticizing California as a “one party state” earlier this week, Musk said will no longer be supporting Democrats and will instead vote Republican.
The serial entrepreneur and world’s wealthiest man, according to the Bloomberg billionaire index, said in a tweet that “In the past I voted Democrat, because they were (mostly) the kindness party.”
However, Musk said Democrats have become “the party of division & hate, so I can no longer support them and will vote Republican.”
But he said he anticipates a strong backlash against him by Democrats, saying “Now, watch their dirty tricks campaign against me unfold.”
Musk, who is embroiled in an attempt to buy Twitter (TWTR) for $44 billion, or $54.20 a share, has criticized the social media site for being too leftist. In particular, he has criticized the site for permanently banning Donald Trump after his failed attempt to overthrow the U.S. government following his loss in the 2020 presidential election.
Musk's former colleague Peter Thiel -- whose fortune is rated about one-third of Musk's by Bloomberg -- has become an outspoken critic of Silicon Valley as well. Thiel has donated millions to the Senate candidacies of J.D. Vance in Ohio and Blake Masters in Arizona. Trump endorsed Vance ahead of his win in that state's primary earlier this spring. Thiel has also backed challengers against Republican incumbents who voted to impeach Trump.
