ORLANDO, Fla. — Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on Twitter he was leaning toward Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2024 Republican presidential race.
In response, DeSantis deflected speculation about his presidential ambitions and joked, “I welcome support from African Americans. What can I say?”
Musk, the richest man in the world with an estimated net worth of $219 billion, was born in South Africa and has white Afrikaner ancestry.
“I supported Yang last time, but DeSantis has a better chance of winning,” Musk added, referring to Andrew Yang, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination in 2020.
DeSantis has spent the last two years raising his national profile among Republicans but has stopped short of saying whether he would run for president in 2024. He and his political mentor, former President Donald Trump, have been reportedly at odds over whether DeSantis would step aside for another Trump run.
The governor has drawn the ire of African American leaders in Florida for his redistricting plan that eliminated one Black congressional district and diluted Black voting strength in another.
“It’s not surprising that another ultra-wealthy billionaire would come out in support of Ron DeSantis, because that is who DeSantis works for,” said Florida Democratic Party spokesperson Travis Reuther in a statement.
“People like Elon Musk know that they have a friend in DeSantis who is more than willing to offer handouts and tax breaks to big corporations and the ultra-wealthy while increasing costs for working Floridians with his political stunts.”
Musk, whose bid to buy Twitter is currently on hold, said earlier this year he now considers himself a Republican. He first said it was because of Democrats’ support of unions, but later claimed it was because “they have become the party of division & hate.”
Musk also responded to a question on Twitter about whether he would spread out his political donations among both parties, as he has done in the past. He responded he would try to create “a ‘Super Moderate Super PAC’ that supports candidates with centrist views from all parties.”
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