Musk Tweets He Leans Toward Ron DeSantis for President

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis embraced the backing of Elon Musk, joking that he welcomed “support from African Americans,” including the White, South African-born Tesla Inc. chief who said earlier he’s leaning toward the Republican for president in 2024.

After Musk said on Twitter early Wednesday that he’s “tbd” on his 2024 pick but is leaning toward DeSantis, the Florida governor alluded to Musk’s continent of birth when joking with reporters about gaining the backing of the world’s wealthiest man.

“With Elon Musk, what I would say is, you know, I welcome support from African Americans, what can I say?,” said DeSantis, who won the support of 14% of Black voters in 2018 when he defeated a Black Democratic candidate to become governor.

Musk’s support for DeSantis came in a series of tweets starting about 3:28 am in New York on Wednesday. The billionaire also said he’d voted Republican for the first time in a special election for a Texas House seat and that he’s weighing creating a fund-raising group for moderate political candidates.

Musk, who supported Democrat Andrew Yang for president in 2020, also backed billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso for mayor of Los Angeles earlier this month. He tweeted last month that while he voted for Democrats in the past, he will now vote Republican because Democrats “have become the party of division & hate, so I can no longer support them.”

He has also steadily ratcheted up criticisms of President Joe Biden’s administration, alleging that Biden is too beholden to labor and that Democrats stymie business efforts.

Biden, in turn, has shrugged off Musk’s jabs, including warnings on the economy. Earlier this month he dismissively wished the billionaire “lots of luck” in efforts to land on the moon.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced earlier this month that it’s expanding its evaluation of how Tesla’s automated driver program, known as Autopilot, handles crash scenes with first-responder vehicles. The probe has steadily widened and poses the risk of a recall order.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he voted Republican for the first time ever - casting a ballot for Mayra Flores who claimed victory in the special election for Texas' 34th Congressional District, flipping the House seat red. She will be the first Mexican-born congresswoman to serve in the House.