Elon Musk tells his Twitter followers to vote for Republicans the day before the midterms, despite saying Twitter should be 'politically neutral'
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy reportedly hosted the new owner of Twitter at a GOP donor retreat in August.
Danny Matson/Getty Images for SXSW, BRITTA PEDERSEN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
- Elon Musk told his followers on Monday to elect a Republican Congress in the midterm elections.
- In August, Musk was reportedly a VIP guest of House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy at his annual donor retreat.
- The billionaire reportedly complained about his tax bill at the retreat.
Tesla CEO and Twitter's new owner Elon Musk urged his Twitter followers on Monday to elect a Republican Congress on Tuesday in an appeal to "independent-minded voters" on the eve of the midterm elections.
"Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic," he tweeted, adding "Hardcore Democrats or Republicans never vote for the other side, so independent voters are the ones who actually decide who's in charge!"
In August, Musk was reportedly a VIP guest of House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy's at his annual donor retreat in Wyoming, multiple outlets reported. Axios reported that McCarthy interviewed Musk in a fireside Q&A chat and that Musk complained during the event about the $11 billion tax bill he incurred in 2021 after selling Tesla stock.
Attendees also told Axios that the US would benefit if the Democratic Party stayed "out of people's wallets," and Republicans stayed "out of people's bedrooms."
—Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2022
Musk announced in May that he would vote Republican in the upcoming election cycle after years of voting for Democrats.
Responding to Musk's tweet, Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman tweeted that Musk has "long been friendly with Kevin McCarthy."
Musk's acquisition of Twitter ended last month. Reaction to his tweet came swiftly.
Democratic strategist Max Burns tweeted: "The @GOP ought to list your Twitter acquisition as an in-kind campaign contribution."
Reuters journalist Kanishka Raj Singh dug up a tweet from Musk in April in which he said Twitter should be politically neutral.
—Kanishka Raj Singh (@Kanishka183) November 7, 2022
Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was among those killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, tweeted that "shared power in the market place curbs excesses. I recommend buying Mustang Mach E or Hyundai Ioniq over Tesla as we need to curb this maniac and his wealth who is trying to influence election outcomes."