Elon Musk said on Twitter (answering “yes” to a question on the subject) that he would be willing to support Republican Ron DeSantis should he run in the 2024 US presidential election. DeSantis, recently re-elected governor of Florida with a large lead on the opponent, could become one of Donald Trump’s main rivals in the Republican primaries in view of the 2024 presidential election.
Before answering “yes” to the question about supporting DeSantis, Musk had written: «For the 2024 presidential elections, my preference will go to someone who is sensitive and centrist. I had hoped it would apply to the Biden administration, but so far I’ve been disappointed.” Musk also recalled that he voted for Biden in the last election.
But freedom of speech is the bedrock of a strong democracy and must take precedence.
My preference for the 2024 presidency is someone sensible and centrist. I had hoped that would be the case for the Biden administration, but have been disappointed so far.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 26, 2022
The tweet by Musk, who has been the owner of Twitter for a few weeks and who recently readmitted Trump to the platform, is the clearest sign, for the moment, of his position towards the 2024 presidential elections. Already in recent months, however, Musk he had hinted that he would probably choose a Republican candidate.
Given Musk’s fickleness on certain topics, and given that it is still unclear who will run for the primaries, his statements must still be taken with a grain of salt. Of course, as pointed out among others the Guardianthe possible support of Musk, one of the richest and most influential men in the world, would certainly be a factor to take into account.
DeSantis is 44 years old and a lawyer. He had been a low-profile congressman before becoming governor, so when he ran for Florida in 2018, he was seen as an underdog, but he too was elected thanks to the open support of Trump, then president. As governor, during his first term, he tackled the pandemic in a controversial way, criticizing the lockdowns and the national vaccination campaign. Furthermore, he has taken political positions with the clear aim of embarrassing Trump, such as when he recently expressed his appreciation for Senator Joe O’Dea shortly after he objected to a Trump rerun in 2024.
