Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Friday blasted the Biden administration and Democrats on Twitter, as the world’s richest particular person doubled down on his vow to vote for Republicans.
Musk in a tweet accused the Biden administration of undertaking “every little thing it can to sideline” and overlook Tesla, in spite of its dominance in the electrical vehicle market.
Musk, who is making an increasingly fraught try to obtain Twitter for $44 billion, suggested Thursday that Democrats would goal him with a smear marketing campaign just after he declared that he would vote for GOP candidates.
“In the past I voted Democrat, simply because they were being (mainly) the kindness occasion. But they have turn out to be the bash of division & hate, so I can no for a longer time assistance them and will vote Republican,” Musk tweeted Thursday.
“Now, watch their dirty tricks marketing campaign towards me unfold …,” he wrote, ending the tweet with a “popcorn” emoji.
Hrs afterwards Thursday, Business enterprise Insider printed a bombshell report detailing allegations that Musk exposed his genitals to a personal jet flight attendant as he asked her for a entire body massage on a SpaceX flight to London. The report said he made available to buy her a horse for her acquiescence to his purported sexual requests.
Musk denied the woman’s promises. Insider described that they were in depth in a published declaration from a good friend of hers, submitted to bolster a complaint the lady made to SpaceX’s human methods division.
But neither Musk nor SpaceX have denied Business Insider’s report that the aerospace company he founded and runs compensated the female $250,000 in severance in exchange for her silence right after she complained about his alleged perform.
Musk in a tweet wrote, “The assaults towards me ought to be seen by means of a political lens – this is their standard (despicable) playbook – but nothing will prevent me from fighting for a fantastic long run and your ideal to absolutely free speech.”
On Thursday, after Musk tweeted that he predicted a “dirty methods campaign versus me” subsequent his announcement that he would vote Republican, Democratic podcaster Jon Favreau fired again at Musk.
“Hey guy, if you want to support a bunch of electrical auto-hating climate deniers, which is on you,” tweeted Favreau, who was a speechwriter for previous President Barack Obama.
“Not confident that it allows the trigger that you and your workforce have committed considerably of your life to, but I guess you will get some attention on Twitter, so you will find that!” Favreau wrote.
Musk replied Friday, creating, “Hi Jon! You are a very good dude, but obv die-difficult Dem, so have to assist the get together, but this Adminstration has accomplished almost everything it can to sideline & overlook Tesla, even though we have built two times as lots of EVs as relaxation of US field mixed.”
Earlier this 7 days at the All-In Summit in Miami, Musk stated he would classify himself “as a average, neither Republican or Democrat,” who “overwhelmingly” voted for Democrats in the earlier.
“I may well never have voted Republican. Now, this election? I will,” Musk reported at the function.
“The Democratic Social gathering is overly managed by the unions and the trial attorneys, notably the course-motion legal professionals,” he stated.
White Home spokespeople didn’t immediately comment.
Musk’s beef with the Biden administration goes back to August of past yr. He was not invited to President Joe Biden’s signing ceremony for an govt purchase that referred to as on automakers to sell much more electrical vehicles — but executives from Standard Motors, Ford and Chrysler ended up.
“Yeah, would seem odd that Tesla was not invited,” Musk tweeted.
It was described in February that Biden had no quick programs to invite Musk to White Property meetings with company leaders.
Musk informed CNBC in email messages that very same month that Biden was ignoring Tesla in favor of giving attention to legacy automakers.
“The notion of a feud is not pretty ideal. Biden has pointedly disregarded Tesla at every flip and falsely stated to the general public that GM potential customers the electrical motor vehicle market, when in reality Tesla manufactured in excess of 300,000 electrical vehicles final quarter and GM developed 26,” Musk reported in the electronic mail at the time.
Last thirty day period, Musk, GM CEO Mary Barra and other leading car executives satisfied with senior Biden administration officials about electric powered car charging stations.
— Additional reporting by CNBC’s Lora Kolodny and Brian Schwartz
