- Elon Musk and David Sacks hosted an elite dinner for billionaires that bought political, Puck reported.
- Musk has been flexing his political affect however has but to endorse a presidential candidate.
- Lately, Musk has lambasted insurance policies by Democratic politicians and endorsed Republicans.
Elon Musk, at an unique April dinner, commiserated with a bunch of billionaires about their mistrust in Democratic politicians like Joe Biden, in response to a brand new report by Puck.
The outlet reported that Musk and enterprise capitalist David Sacks hosted the non-public occasion at Sacks’ $23 million property within the Hollywood Hills. In attendance have been Republican donor Peter Thiel, former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, and funding banker Steven Mnuchin, who beforehand served as secretary of the treasury below Donald Trump.
In keeping with Puck, the attendees have been a part of a “burgeoning anti-Biden mind belief, united by a shared sense of grievance,” with the night’s dialog centered round fundraising to defeat Democratic politicians and Musk’s issues about America’s migrant disaster.
Whereas Musk has more and more criticized Biden’s insurance policies publicly — particularly concerning unlawful immigration, which Musk mentioned helped Biden win the presidency, per the Houston Chronicle — the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX hasn’t formally endorsed any political candidate for the approaching election.
A consultant for financier Michael Milken confirmed to Enterprise Insider that he attended a dinner hosted by Musk and Sacks earlier this month however famous his presence was not a political gesture. Any dialogue of politics on the dinner, Milken’s consultant mentioned, didn’t revolve across the endorsement of any explicit occasion or candidate.
Milken, in 1990, pleaded responsible to 6 racketeering and securities fraud fees associated to an insider buying and selling scheme. He was launched from jail after two years and was pardoned by then-President Donald Trump 30 years later, in 2020.
Representatives for Musk, Sacks, and different dinner attendees recognized by Puck didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark from Enterprise Insider.
Whereas the dinner wasn’t explicitly pro-Trump, Musk has, in current weeks, instructed associates he plans to wade deeper into his rising function as a political influencer and is weighing whether or not to endorse Trump on this 12 months’s election or simply make a public assertion towards Biden, Puck reported.
Although he’s hardly a prolific donor so far as billionaires go, Musk’s historical past of political contributions leans Republican. OpenSecrets famous that Musk donated $688,350 to federal candidates and occasion committees between 2004 and 2020, with 50.1% going to Republican causes. The highest recipient of Musk’s donations was the Nationwide Republican Congressional Committee, which obtained $246,800 from him since 2004, the marketing campaign finance watchdog reported.
“Up to now I voted Democrat, as a result of they have been (largely) the kindness occasion,” Musk wrote in a tweet in Could 2022. He then bashed the Democratic Social gathering, including: “However they’ve develop into the occasion of division & hate, so I can now not assist them and can vote Republican.”
Since then, his rhetoric on-line has more and more mirrored excessive right-wing speaking factors, accusing The New York Occasions of going “full woke,” and saying everybody ought to “transfer on” from specializing in racism.
He has additionally urged “independent-minded voters” to vote Republican to curb a Democratic majority.
In March, Musk met with Trump in Palm Seashore, Florida, and mentioned he was “leaning away” from Biden in an interview with former CNN anchor Don Lemon.
“Whereas I will voice my opinion, I feel I do not wish to put a thumb on the dimensions monetarily that’s vital,” Musk instructed Lemon about his political contributions. “I’ll, within the remaining stretch, endorse a candidate, however I do not know but.”