Left: US President Joe Biden, Right Tesla Chief Elon Musk
Elon Musk said he cannot envision himself voting for Joe Biden in the upcoming Presidential Elections in 2024. Asked if that meant he would for Trump instead, Musk demurred.
At the New York Times Dealbook conference, “I think that I would not vote for Biden,” Musk, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tesla Incorporation, said on November 29, 2023. He had been asked if he could see himself casting a ballot for Joe Biden in a hypothetical matchup with former US President Donald Trump, the Republic frontrunner. “I am not saying that I would vote for Trump,” he added with an audible sigh, This is definitely a difficult choice here.
Animosity between Musk and Biden
In the year 2020, Elon Musk had voted for Biden, who belongs to the Democrat Party of the US Political system. But the relationship between the two has not been on good terms since Biden assumed office. Biden has rarely mentioned Musk or Tesla, the world’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer, even when discussions of the automobile industry or his administration’s efforts for the promotion of Electric Vehicles (EV).
This is evident from the fact that Biden had invited CEOs of Ford Motors and General Motors to an event in 2021 but did not invite Musk and his organisation, Tesla. This has rankled Musk, who cited the administration’s snub on November 29, 2023; they had an electric vehicle summit at the White House and specifically refused to let Tesla attend, Musk said.
Support for Republicans
Biden went on to add insult to injury and publicly declared General Motors (GM) as the leading electric car revolution. Biden also offered rare praise for Musk earlier this year when the automobile magnet opened a part of Tesla’s charging network to other electric, a move the president called a big deal. “ Thank You. Tesla is happy to support other EVs via our Supercharger network.
Ever since Biden has taken office, Musk has sought to court influence with Republicans and is a long-time donor to the former House Speaker Kevin Mc Carthy. He has also offered praise for many of Biden’s political adversaries and encouraged the public to vote for the GOP Congress in the 2022 mid-term elections. He has praised Republican candidates seeking the nomination, including Florida Governor Ron De Santis, who announced his candidacy on a livestream with him.
On November 29, 2023, Elon Musk said that he would not back South Carolina’s Governor Nikki Haley, calling her a “pro-censorship candidate”. Haley’s campaign did not immediately respond for comment the same day.
Reasons behind Animosity
The feud between Elon Musk and Joe Biden started with the US President’s overt and public support for unions, but things began to take shape in 2021. As early as February 2021, Musk had certain disagreements with the Biden administration and was lobbying for a carbon tax, but the Biden team found it politically difficult.
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