Ron DeSantis could have the world’s wealthiest man in his corner should he run for President in 2024. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter, affirmatively responded when asked by a Twitter user if he would back the Florida governor.
He did pledge to maintain political fairness on the platform, however. Considering he has already restored many conservative accounts including Donald Trump’s, he will likely maintain this promise.
Musk’s backing of DeSantis should not come as a surprise. Back in June, he mentioned he was leaning toward the governor after previously voting for Joe Biden in 2020.
Then in July, he again promoted a DeSantis candidacy. He claimed DeSantis would win so easily against Biden he would not have to campaign. He also said Trump was too old to serve as president again.
Why is his verbal backing of DeSantis significant when the governor has not made a final decision? Because Musk has the potential to single-handedly fund a DeSantis presidential campaign should he choose to do so. Considering Musk is worth almost $200 billion, he could write a nine-figure check without even blinking.
A prospective DeSantis Presidential SuperPAC would be insane not to solicit Musk’s financial support. The governor will need every penny to not only get past Trump in the GOP primary, but also to prevail against Biden or whatever left-wing loon the Democrats put up in 2024.
A nine-figure check also might scare off listless primary candidates and clear the field. Why would the likes of Nikki Haley, Larry Hogan, and Liz Cheney compete against both a loaded Trump and DeSantis? Even Mike Pence might decline to embark on a quixotic and doomed campaign as well.
There is little evidence whether Musk will provide any financial assistance, though. A check of past donations reveals hundreds to both Republican and Democratic campaigns though nothing eye-opening moneywise. His largest overall contribution was $75000 way back in 2006. A number along those lines will mean little to the success of a DeSantis presidential campaign.
Musk is a man who paid $44 billion for Twitter because he was disgusted over the platform’s censorship of free expression. A growing feud with Trump along with a nasty primary battle could provide the impetus toward unprecedented financial backing. Hell hath no fury like an angry billionaire scorned.
The coming months will prove interesting if and when DeSantis throws his hat into the presidential ring. Musk has the potential to significantly shape the primary if he wants and damage Trump in the process.