WASHINGTON - Billionaire Elon Musk, chief executive officer of electric vehicle maker Tesla, said on March 6 that he will not donate money to either Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump or Democratic President Joe Biden in 2024’s election, one day after meeting Trump in Florida.
Trump met Mr Musk, one of the world’s richest individuals, with a small group of other people in Florida at the weekend, a source confirmed to Reuters, as the former president seeks a major cash infusion for his campaign.
In a post on his social media platform X, Mr Musk – who is worth US$192 billion (S$256 billion), according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index – said: “Just to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for US President.”
Mr Musk’s comments, however, do not rule out donations to a super political action committee or other political causes.
Mr Musk has not deployed his wealth in politics like other billionaires. He has donated less than US$1 million since 2009, Federal Election Commission records show.
The announcement is a blow to Trump, who has a serious cash disadvantage as he launches into a general election rematch with Mr Biden.
Trump’s campaign war chest is far smaller than Mr Biden’s.
He began February with US$30.4 million on hand, compared with the President’s US$130 million, according to federal filings. The Republican’s court cases have been a financial drain on his campaign.
Mr Musk has said he voted for Mr Biden in 2020 but has been a sharp critic of the president’s policies in office, including over the migrant crisis at the south-west United States border.
He has said on X that Mr Biden is encouraging migrants to come to the United States so they can vote for Democrats, even though people without US citizenship are not eligible to vote in federal elections.
In 2022, Mr Musk asked Americans to elect a Republican Congress in US midterm elections, in order to counterbalance Mr Biden’s Democrats.
Earlier on March 6, Mrs Nikki Haley ended her long-shot challenge to Trump, ensuring he will be the Republican Party’s candidate in a rematch with Mr Biden in November. REUTERS, BLOOMBERG
