Topline
Billionaire Elon Musk is set to interview former President Donald Trump Monday, marking the Tesla CEO’s latest foray into politics as he has increasingly aligned himself with the Republican Party and is actively working to help elect Trump—including by spearheading a pro-Trump super PAC supported by fellow billionaires.
Chief Technology Officer of X Elon Musk speaks onstage during the “Exploring the New Frontiers of … [+]
Key Facts
Musk—who previously backed former President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign and former Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ failed 2024 presidential bid—has become enmeshed in far-right politics in recent years, as he’s used his profile on X, where he boasts more followers than any other user (193 million), to boost right-wing rhetoric, ideologies, and Trump, endorsing the former president just after the assassination attempt against him last month.
Musk is set to interview Trump Monday on the platform in what Musk said should be a “highly entertaining” discussion, “unscripted with no limits on subject matter.”
The interview comes as Musk and Trump have developed an alliance during this election cycle: Musk and his political allies have hosted gatherings to try to convince their high-powered friends not to support Biden and at one point Musk and Trump discussed a White House advisory role for Musk if Trump were to be re-elected, the Wall Street Journal reported in May, citing sources.
Musk, who served on business advisory groups during Trump’s first White House tenure but resigned following his decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord, denied the report he has discussed a potential White House role with Trump, and he initially said he wouldn’t donate to either Trump or Biden, though he appears to have changed his mind and has acknowledged giving money to the pro-Trump super PAC, America PAC.
Musk founded the group in May with the goal of recruiting 800,000 swing state voters, according to the Wall Street Journal, though the committee has run into some organizational hurdles and was recently dismantled and restructured, bringing on a new team of vendors and leaders, including Republican strategists who worked at the super PAC that supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential bid, Generra Peck and Phil Cox.
Musk founded the group alongside Texas real-estate developer and Republican donor Richard Weekley, according to the Journal; it was initially led by Palantir co-founder and Musk confidant Joe Lonsdale and counts billionaires Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, Valor Equity Partners founder Antonio Gracias and venture capitalist Douglas Leone among its donors.
Musk has acknowledged his role in the committee, which he said is aimed at “supporting a meritocracy & individual freedom” and said he is making “some donations,” but has denied reports that he was planning to give $45 million per month to the group.
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What Time Is Musk’s Interview With Trump?
8 p.m. EDT.
How Can I Watch Musk’s Interview With Trump?
The discussion will be live-streamed on Trump’s X account.
Big Number
17%. That’s the share of political tweets on Musk’s X feed, up from 2 percent in 2021, according to a Washington Post analysis.
Tangent
The Michigan Secretary of State’s office said earlier this month America PAC was under investigation for allegedly collecting personal information on visitors to its website under the guise of registering them to vote. People familiar with the website told the Journal it was never actually meant to register people, but instead to collect information the PAC then used to fill out registration forms and send to voters for their signatures. The vendor hired to mail out the approximately 8,500 voter registration forms it had compiled was fired before sending them out, however, and was recently rehired to restart the process, according to the Journal.
Key Background
The interview comes amid one of Trump’s lowest points in the election cycle following Vice President Kamala Harris’ entrance into the race late last month. Her candidacy was announced as Trump was surging ahead in polls after his debate with Biden and after Trump experienced a moment of martyrdom following the assassination attempt against him. Harris is now ahead of Trump in most polling averages, as Trump has ignited some controversies in recent weeks, including questioning Harris’ race and the airing of controversial statements made by Trump’s running mate, JD Vance.
Further Reading
Elon Musk’s Pro-Trump Super PAC Under Investigation For ‘Voter Registration’ Link—Here’s Why (Forbes)
Elon Musk Will Give About $45 Million A Month To Support Trump, Report Says (Forbes)
Elon Musk’s Political Shift: How The Billionaire Moved From Backing Obama To Endorsing DeSantis (Forbes)
2022 midterms, 2024 presidential campaign, the January 6 House committee investigation, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s historic ouster, the 2023 State of the Union Address, former President Donald Trump’s federal election interference and classified documents cases and his Manhattan hush money case. Dorn graduated in 2012 from the University of Dayton with a degree in journalism. Prior to joining Forbes, she covered New York City and state politics for the New York Post and City and State magazine. Follow her for updates and analysis on the 2024 presidential race, key Senate and House races and developments in Congress and at the White House.
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