Former President Trump confirmed Monday that he met recently with Elon Musk but said he wasn’t sure if the billionaire would support his reelection bid.
“I don’t know. I’ve been friendly with him over the years,” Trump told CNBC’s “SquawkBox.”
“I’ve helped him. When I was president I helped him. I’ve liked him. We obviously have opposing views on a minor subject called electric cars,” Trump said. “I’m all for electric cars, but you have to have all the alternatives also.”
The New York Times reported last week that Trump and Musk met privately, noting that Trump’s campaign was at a severe cash disadvantage compared to Democrats as he burns through money on legal fees.
Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla, SpaceX and X, the site formerly known as Twitter, later said he would not donate money to either candidate for president.
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Since purchasing X, Musk has used the platform to boost prominent conservatives and right-wing media figures, and he reinstated Trump after the former president’s account was banned following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Several of Musk’s posts about Biden have been critical of the president and his policies, particularly on immigration. And there has been friction between Musk and the Biden administration after the White House did not include Tesla in a summit on investments in electric vehicles.
Musk has previously indicated that he voted for Biden in 2020, but the billionaire encouraged his followers on X to vote for Republicans in the 2022 midterms to serve as a check on Biden.
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