Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has offered outspoken admirer Elon Musk a response after the Tesla CEO said he would support the Conservative in a prospective presidential nomination.
At a conference in Madeira Beach on Wednesday, DeSantis commented on the news of Musk’s potential endorsement with a joke that played off the billionaire’s South African heritage.
“I’m focused on 2022, but I applaud the support of African Americans,” the conservative quipped to a reporter.
The well-timed remark elicited laughter from the crowd, adding even more fuel to the passion that DeSantis was rumored to be surrounding the presidential aspirations.
At a conference in Madeira Beach on Wednesday, Ron DeSantis commented on the news of Musk’s potential endorsement with a joke that mocked the billionaire’s South African heritage
Hours earlier, Musk had announced that he was leaning towards DeSantis as a potential president after being asked about his preferences on who the next head of state should be.
Musk, who has described himself as a moderate in recent years but has shown a turn toward conservatism in recent months, made his political allegiance clear in a flurry of tweets early Wednesday.
Musk started his social media game by revealing that he had voted red for the first time on Tuesday, casting a ballot for incoming Texas Congresswoman Maya Flores.
The richest man in the world continued to tout victory as victory while predicting a massive red wave in the upcoming midterm elections in November.
“I voted for Mayra Flores – first time ever voting Republican,” Musk wrote.
The mogul added, “Massive red wave in 2022.”
Then when asked who he’d like to support in 2024, the tech billionaire simply replied, “DeSantis.”
Musk was also asked what he thought of Andrew Yang, who was running in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary. He said, “I backed Yang last time, but DeSantis has a better chance of winning.”
A follower also asked, “Is this the first time this has happened… where you’re receiving massive hatred from top Democrat leaders?”
The Tesla boss replied “yes”.
Hours earlier, Elon Musk had announced that he was leaning towards DeSantis as a potential president after being asked about his preferences for the next head of state
Musk, who has described himself as a moderate in recent years but has shown a shift toward conservatism in recent months, made his political allegiance clear in a spate of tweets early Wednesday, announcing that on Tuesday he was going to the voted Republican for the first time
The unexpected confirmation came as DeSantis continued to emerge as a central figure in the ongoing culture wars between the awakened left and those with other political ideologies.
DeSantis, a conservative known for his anti-waking politics, has yet to announce a 2024 White House bid, but is widely believed to be considering it.
Earlier this year he came under fire for signing a parental rights bill that banned public schools from teaching children under the age of 10 on issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation – what the left dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay Bill”. .
Meanwhile, Musk, a staunch libertarian and businessman who has seen his wealth swell during the pandemic, has demonstrated a turn to the political right after previously being heralded by progressives as a hip new breed of businessman.
Musk was also asked what he thought of Andrew Yang, who was running in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary. He said, “I backed Yang last time, but DeSantis has a better chance of winning”
On Wednesday, Musk, who has supported both Democrats and Republicans in the past, tweeted, “I’m considering creating a ‘Super Moderate Super PAC’ that will support centrist candidates from all parties.”
Musk’s changing political views were thrust into the spotlight in April after he announced his intention to acquire a controlling stake in Twitter for a staggering $44 billion.
His offer to buy Twitter for $54.20 per share was made public on April 14.
He has since said the deal is on hold, arguing – without providing evidence – that there are too many automated accounts for the deal to move forward.
At the end of the month, Musk hinted that his political sentiment had shifted to the right over the past 14 years by posting a meme depicting a moderate liberal being pushed into the arms of conservatives.
The image showed a stick figure labeled “I” remaining stationary relative to another labeled “Conservative” while the figure at the “Liberal” end of the spectrum moved ever more to the left.
Musk started his social media game by revealing that he voted red for the first time on Tuesday to celebrate the victory of incoming Texas Congresswoman Maya Flores (pictured).
In the final chart, labeled 2021, the “I” figure is to the right of the center line – while the conservative chuckles and the liberal – now labeled “progressive awakening” – accuses the centrist of bigotry.
Many Democrats and liberals are concerned that Musk’s vision for Twitter will allow more misinformation to spread on the platform.
Meanwhile, GOP politicians and those more right-wing have hailed his potential takeover as a victory for freedom of expression.
Some Republican figures are hoping that GOP accounts will be reinstated on the platform after they were previously suspended — most notably that of President Donald Trump.
However, those hopes were dashed when Musk announced his acquisition had been put on hold a week later, citing concerns about fake accounts on Twitter.
Musk then further shocked the world when he announced that due to the company’s liberal bias in San Francisco, he would switch political affiliations and vote for the Republican Party in the next election.
Musk confirmed via video link at a tech summit in Miami, Fla. in May hosted by the All-In podcast that he would be changing his voice.
“The reality is that Twitter is very left-leaning at this point,” Musk told attendees. “I would classify myself as moderate, neither Republican nor Democrat.”
Musk went on to claim that he has “overwhelmingly” voted for Democrats in the past.
“I have historically voted overwhelmingly for Democrats. I’m not sure, I might never have voted Republican just to be clear,” Musk said.
Then he declared: “Now this choice I will.”
Musk confirmed that he would change his vote from Democrat to Republican via video link at a tech summit in Miami in May (pictured), hosted by the All-In Podcast
Insider reported that he didn’t clarify whether he meant he would vote for the eventual Republican nominee during the 2024 presidential election or for a GOP nominee in the upcoming midterm elections in November.
Musk, the top executive at Tesla and founder of SpaceX, has a net worth of nearly $209 billion — $86 billion as the world’s second-richest man, Jeff Bezos.
For such a wealthy man, Musk’s history of political donations in DeSantis’ Florida is a bit sparse — let alone bipartisan.
In 2014, he donated an identical sum of $2,500 to each of the men running for governor that year: Democrat Charlie Crist and then-GOP Gov. Rick Scott.
In 2010, he gave Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz $1,000 in 2010.
In 2006, Musk donated at least $5,000 to Democratic Senator Bill Nelson, also from Florida.
He has also given Republican Senator Marco Rubio at least $15,200 over the years.
Meanwhile, Musk appears to have taken a liking to DeSantis — an increasingly popular political figure who has been compared to former President Trump for his no-nonsense politics, but without the legal and political baggage that is synonymous with the outspoken New Yorker.
Last year, Musk tweeted that he spoke to DeSantis about digging tunnels under Miami to improve gridlock.
DeSantis, meanwhile, has expressed support for Musk’s Twitter bid.
In April, he called the pending transaction “a good deal for shareholders” and said it “raises the prospect that the platform will be a place for free speech to thrive, not a narrative enforcement tool.”
