The Surprising Alliance Between Musk and Trump
The relationship between Elon Musk and Donald Trump didn’t exactly start on the best terms. In fact, not too long ago, they weren’t very fond of each other. Back in July 2022, Musk tweeted, “I don’t hate the man, but it’s time for Trump to hang up his hat & sail into the sunset.” This remark followed a harsh insult from Trump, who accused Musk of lying about his voting record, calling him a liar in front of a rally crowd in Alaska. Trump even mocked the idea of Musk purchasing Twitter, a prediction that would later be proven wrong when Musk did buy the platform months later. Interestingly, Musk also threw his support behind Trump’s Republican rival, Ron DeSantis, who launched his presidential campaign on Twitter Spaces, albeit with some technical difficulties.
However, the relationship between Musk and Trump has recently transformed from frosty to almost warm. On a recent Monday, Trump made a return to Twitter/X after a year-long break, just hours before he and Musk were set to have what many expected to be a friendly conversation streamed on the platform. Both men hoped the discussion would reach a wide audience, beyond the vocal paid users that currently dominate the site, and avoid the glitches that plagued DeSantis’s campaign launch.
Musk, who became a U.S. citizen in 2002, had traditionally supported Democrats, voting for them for decades. But his relationship with the Biden administration soured, especially after he wasn’t invited to a 2021 White House summit on electric vehicles, despite Tesla’s prominent role in the industry. Musk has also faced numerous federal investigations under Biden’s administration, ranging from his Twitter takeover to Tesla’s autopilot claims. By November 2023, Musk openly stated that he wouldn’t vote for Biden again, though he hesitated to endorse Trump, describing his choice as “definitely difficult.”
Musk’s acquisition of Twitter marked a turning point. He lifted the ban on Trump’s account and began aligning himself more closely with Trump’s views, particularly on issues like government censorship, media bias, immigration, and opposition to “woke” ideas. According to Ryan Broderick, who writes the internet culture newsletter Garbage Day, Musk’s online persona shifted dramatically a few years ago, moving from “neoliberal, happy-go-lucky” tweets to more politically charged content.
Musk has increasingly engaged in political controversies, sometimes spreading inflammatory or misleading information. For example, during recent unrest in the UK, he exchanged barbs with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and shared a fake post about “detainment camps” on the Falkland Islands. He’s also echoed Trump’s unproven claims of widespread election fraud in the U.S. Research from the Center for Countering Digital Hate noted that Musk has tweeted false or misleading voting claims 50 times this year and regularly interacts with fringe, far-right figures, amplifying their reach.
Musk’s ties to Silicon Valley also connect him to Trump’s inner circle. As a member of the so-called PayPal mafia, Musk is linked to influential Republicans like Peter Thiel, who played a significant role in Ohio Senator JD Vance’s campaign. Earlier this year, Musk met with Trump at his Florida resort and later hosted an “anti-Biden” dinner party with Thiel and Rupert Murdoch among the guests. Although Musk has donated to both Democratic and Republican politicians, he recently co-founded a pro-Trump political action committee, America PAC. While he denies contributing the reported $45 million a month to the PAC, his support for Trump became evident after a recent assassination attempt on the former president when Musk tweeted his endorsement of Trump.
Trump, in turn, seems to have patched things up with Musk. At a recent press conference, he expressed his respect for Musk, noting that they both share concerns about the direction of the country. Musk has become a hero to a younger, mostly male online audience, a demographic that aligns with Trump’s views but is considered less reliable at the polls. The Trump campaign appears to be courting this group, as evidenced by a recent interview with controversial podcaster Adin Ross.
Ryan Broderick, however, remains skeptical about the dynamic between Musk and Trump, predicting that their upcoming conversation might be chaotic, with each man talking past the other. The interview is scheduled to go live at 8:00 PM ET on Monday (1:00 AM BST). The BBC reached out to X and the Trump campaign for comments on this unexpected alliance.
