Workers at Musk's Tesla, SpaceX and X donate to Harris campaign
19/9/2024 5:51
Billionaire Elon Musk has endorsed
Republican former President Donald Trump in the race for the
White House, but employees at his collection of companies are
largely donating to Trump's Democratic rival Kamala Harris.
Workers at Tesla have contributed $42,824 to
Harris' presidential campaign versus $24,840 to Trump's
campaign, according to OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan nonprofit that
tracks U.S. campaign contributions and lobbying data.
Employees at Musk's rocket company SpaceX have donated
$34,526 to Harris versus $7,652 to Trump. Employees at the
social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, have donated
$13,213 to Harris versus less than $500 to Trump.
While the figures are relatively small for campaign
fundraising, they indicate political leanings at odds with
Musk's own. The world's richest man, Musk has boosted Trump on X
and dismissed left-leaning ideas as a "woke-mind virus."
Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He backed President Joe Biden in 2020 but has tacked rightward
since then. Trump has said that if he wins the Nov. 5 election,
he will appoint Musk to lead a government efficiency commission.
The OpenSecrets data includes donations from company
employees and owners and those individuals' immediate family
members. Campaign finance laws prohibit companies themselves
from donating to federal campaigns.
Many of Musk's employees are based in California, a
Democratic stronghold, said Ross Gerber, CEO of Gerber Kawasaki
Wealth and Investment Management, which is a Tesla shareholder.
Gerber is also an investor in X.
In July, Musk said he would move X and SpaceX headquarters
to Texas from California because of a California gender-identity
law he called the "last straw." Gerber said such a move would
mean "losing out on a lot of potential talent" in California.
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