Musk backs DeSantis—fellow enemy of the ‘woke agenda’—for president

The mercurial billionaire tweeted his help for the Florida governor on Friday night time, replying with “sure” when a Twitter person requested if he’d help a DeSantis run for the White Home.

“My choice for the 2024 presidency is somebody smart and centrist. I had hoped that will the case for the Biden administration, however have been disenchanted to date,” wrote the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who now owns Twitter after his $44 billion takeover final month.

He added, “As a reminder, I used to be a major supporter of the Obama-Biden presidency and (reluctantly) voted for Biden over Trump.”

DeSantis has not introduced a White Home bid, however hypothesis has been rife. The Republican governor simply defeated Democrat Charlie Crist within the midterms, securing his second time period.

Like Musk, DeSantis has constantly spoken out towards the “woke agenda.” In his victory speech this month, he stated, “We combat the woke within the legislature. We combat the woke within the faculties. We combat the woke within the firms. We are going to by no means, ever give up to the woke mob. Florida is the place woke goes to die. I’ve solely begun to combat.”

The ‘woke thoughts virus’

Musk has made related assaults. He tweeted in April that “the woke thoughts virus is making Netflix unwatchable.” And this month, Musk reinstated the Twitter account of the satire web site Babylon Bee, which had been locked over the misgendering of Rachel Levine, the U.S. assistant secretary of well being and a trans lady. (Musk’s ex-wife, Talulah Riley, had urged him to “do one thing to combat woke-ism” and was particularly involved in regards to the suspension of the Babylon Bee account, asking, “Why has everybody grow to be so puritanical?”)

Musk additionally introduced again the account of Donald Trump. In January final 12 months, days after the Capitol riot, Twitter completely banned Trump “as a result of threat of additional incitement of violence.”

Musk repeatedly criticized the corporate’s transfer, together with its content material moderation insurance policies usually. He promptly fired Twitter’s high leaders upon taking up the corporate.

Trump, who introduced after the midterms that he’ll run once more in 2024, will little question bristle over Musk’s help for DeSantis. The ex-president supported DeSantis’ 2018 bid for governor, however the relationship between the GOP leaders has cooled as DeSantis has grow to be ever extra standard amongst conservative voters. 

Trump on Nov. 10 accused DeSantis of missing “loyalty and sophistication,” and he rolled out the nickname “Ron DeSanctimonious” at a rally in Pennsylvania. He additionally warned that if DeSantis ran, he’d reveal “issues about him that gained’t be very flattering—I do know extra about him than anyone—aside from, maybe, his spouse.”

Whether or not he’d reveal such issues on Twitter stays a query. Trump has indicated he’ll stick along with his personal social media web site Fact Social (an app developed by Trump Media & Expertise Group) regardless of Musk reinstating his Twitter account. Musk has made raunchy jokes about Trump being tempted to tweet once more, whereas Trump responded to his reinstatement by saying that Twitter as an organization “may not make it.”

Musk yesterday once more criticized the original decision to ban Trump’s Twitter account, writing, “The essential factor is that Twitter appropriate a grave mistake in banning his account, regardless of no violation of the regulation or phrases of service. Deplatforming a sitting President undermined public belief in Twitter for half of America.”

However, he added, “I’m high quality with Trump not tweeting.”  

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