Musk “fine” with Trump not using Twitter, would back DeSantis in 2024
Elon Musk. Photo: Muhammed Selim Korkutata/Anadolu Agency
Elon Musk said on Friday that he would support Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) if he were to run for president in 2024.
Why it matters: It's the second time this year that Musk has teased support for DeSantis.
Details: Musk replied "Yes" when asked by Twitter user @ProudElephantUS if he would support DeSantis in 2024.
- The confirmation came after a lengthy Twitter thread in which Musk explained his reasoning for bringing former President Trump back to Twitter last week.
- "I’m fine with Trump not tweeting," Musk said about the former president, who hasn't tweeted since coming back to the platform and has stuck to posting on Truth Social.
- "The important thing is that Twitter correct a grave mistake in banning his account, despite no violation of the law or terms of service."
- "Deplatforming a sitting President undermined public trust in Twitter for half of America," Musk wrote.
Musk said that he had been a "significant supporter of the Obama-Biden presidency and (reluctantly) voted for Biden over Trump" in the last election.
- "But freedom of speech is the bedrock of a strong democracy and must take precedence," he added.
- Musk described his desired 2024 candidate as "someone sensible and centrist. I had hoped that would the case for the Biden administration, but have been disappointed so far."
Flashback: Back in June, Musk said that he was leaning toward supporting DeSantis if he chose to run for president. A month before, he said he can "no longer support Democrats."
Worth noting: DeSantis said earlier in November that "people just need to chill out a little bit" about a potential 2024 matchup with Trump.
- The most notable names to announce 2024 bids so far include Trump and rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.
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