Decoding the partnership between Elon Musk and Donald Trump in the US elections

Republican candidate Donald Trump claimed victory in the 2024 US presidential election after Fox News predicted he defeated his Democratic rival Kamala Harris. Hours before his speech, Tesla founder Elon Musk, one of the former president’s most loyal supporters, said that the American people had given a clear mandate in favor of the real estate mogul and that the “future” would be “fantastic.”

Elon Musk, one of the richest people in the world, has emerged as Donald Trump’s biggest supporter in the US election. He has regularly shared X-posts advocating why the United States must elect Trump as its next president.

The close relationship between Donald Trump and Elon Musk made headlines in 2022 after the latter bought Twitter and changed his name to X.

One of the first steps Musk took was to restore Donald Trump’s suspended X account. He conducted a survey about X. “The people have spoken,” Musk said in 2022, claiming 51.8% of more than 15 million X users wanted the ban lifted.

Donald Trump’s X-Handle was banned after his supporters stormed the US Capitol in Washington DC. Former management decided that his posts about the incident glorified violence.

In the run-up to the US presidential election, Elon Musk openly supported Donald Trump’s candidacy in podcasts, interviews and social media posts.

Musk donated $75 million to Trump’s Political Action Committee to help pave the way for his return to the White House. He even hosted an X-Space with the former president and appeared at some of his campaign events.

The Tesla CEO even expressed his willingness to serve after Trump indicated he would consider Elon Musk for a Cabinet role or an advisory post if he wins.

Elon Musk confirmed that he would spend election night at Trump’s estate in Florida.

Musk fought alongside him and financed his involvement in swing states.

“I can’t think of anyone who has spent as much time with a microphone as big as Elon Musk talking about voter fraud,” said Justin Grimmer, a professor of political science at Stanford University and an expert on voter fraud at the MIT Election Data and Science Lab .

Musk has also been accused of posting false or misleading claims about the US election. A Reuters report said Musk’s posts, which mostly endorsed Donald Trump and his policies, amassed billions of views on X.

With contributions from Reuters, Bloomberg, ANI