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US presidential polls: Elon Musk endorses Trump, his workers back Harris

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US presidential polls: Elon Musk endorses Trump, his workers back Harris

3 min read Last Updated : Sep 20 2024 | 11:45 AM IST


As the date for the US Presidential election draws near, interesting reports have started to emerge from the western power. Aside from the regular ‘assassination attempts’ and bizarre comments from those running in the race for the US polls, the divide over supporting Kamala Harris or Donald Trump grows wider with each day.


In a similar incident, while billionaire Elon Musk has thrown his support behind Republican former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race, many employees at Musk’s companies are predominantly backing Trump’s Democratic competitor, Kamala Harris.


According to data from OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan nonprofit group that monitors US political donations, Tesla employees have contributed $42,824 to Harris’ campaign, compared to $24,840 for Trump. At SpaceX, Musk’s aerospace company, workers have donated $34,526 to Harris and $7,652 to Trump. Meanwhile, X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, has seen its employees contribute $13,213 to Harris, with less than $500 going to Trump.

 


The OpenSecrets data reflects donations from company staff, owners, and their immediate family members, as US campaign finance laws prevent companies from making direct contributions to federal elections.


Reuters cited Ross Gerber, chief executive of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management and a Tesla shareholder, as saying that many of Musk’s employees are based in California, a traditionally Democratic state. Gerber is also an investor in X.


Employee donations reflect political divide


While these contributions are relatively modest in the context of overall fundraising, they suggest a political stance among Musk’s employees that contrasts with Musk’s own leanings. The billionaire has supported Trump on X and frequently criticised progressive viewpoints, which he refers to as the “woke-mind virus”.


Though he supported Joe Biden in the 2020 election, Musk has increasingly shifted his views to the right. Trump has stated that if he wins the upcoming election, he would appoint Musk to lead a government efficiency task force.


In July, Musk expressed plans to relocate the headquarters of SpaceX and X to Texas, citing a California law on gender identity as a tipping point. Gerber remarked that such a decision could result in ‘losing significant talent’ in California.


Musk’s controversial claims on Kamala harris


Earlier this week, Musk deleted a post on X in which he claimed that there were no assassination attempts on President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris, despite a reported attempt on Trump’s life while he was playing golf. Musk, who bought X for $44 billion in 2022 and now has nearly 200 million followers on the platform, has become more aligned with conservative views in recent years and endorsed Trump for president.


While Musk has previously taken down controversial posts, he has also left up or doubled down on some inflammatory remarks. Last week, for instance, he made a joking comment about impregnating Taylor Swift after the singer endorsed Harris.


On Monday morning, following the removal of his post about the Trump assassination attempt, Musk tweeted, “Well, one lesson I’ve learned is that just because I say something to a group and they laugh doesn’t mean it’s going to be all that hilarious as a post on X.”


(With inputs from Reuters)

First Published: Sep 20 2024 | 11:45 AM IST

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