Surrogates for Vice President Kamala Harris are raising concerns over how billionaire businessman Elon Musk could influence — and benefit from — the election of former President Donald Trump.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) said he was not only taken aback by the $75 million in donations that Musk, the owner of companies SpaceX, X, and Tesla, has made to Trump this election cycle, but his fundamental concern is that Musk stands to benefit a great deal from any support he shows now, if Trump is elected come November.
“I’m very concerned about our country where people like Elon Musk — others that are sucking up to Donald Trump — that will undoubtedly be carved out of regulations, undoubtedly get massive, even larger federal contracts. It is an American oligarchy that can be formed here,” Newsom on Sunday told MSNBC Inside host Jen Psaki, the former White House press secretary for President Joe Biden.
Newsom said he considered Musk one of the country’s “great entrepreneurs” and someone he had known “20, 25 years,” then added that “this is not the person I knew even two years ago.”
Since purchasing X, formerly Twitter, in 2022, Musk has begun wading into U.S. politics, posting throughout the day on his account and sharing his views on the platform, never fact-checked as other users are held to.
Musk has been campaigning with Trump in recent weeks, including in Pennsylvania. Over the weekend, Musk announced that he would randomly award $1 million daily to one registered voter in Pennsylvania who signs the America PAC petition.
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) said that law enforcement should look into Musk’s million-dollar giveaway.
“I think there are real questions with how he is spending money in this race, how the dark money is flowing, not just into Pennsylvania, but apparently now into the pockets of Pennsylvanians,” Shapiro told NBC “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker.
“That is deeply concerning,” Shapiro added. “I think it’s something that law enforcement could take a look at. I’m not the attorney general anymore of Pennsylvania. I’m the governor, but it does raise some serious questions.”
The Harris campaign is not without its own billionaire businessman supporter who also has space ventures.
ABC Shark Tank star Mark Cuban has been traveling around the country to campaign for Harris, including to Wisconsin on Thursday, Arizona on Saturday, and Michigan on Sunday.
Harris has vowed to crack down on corporations and the wealthy, ensuring they are paying their fair share in taxes. Despite the promise, Cuban has been a big supporter, as well as A-list celebrities, including Usher and Anne Hathaway.
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“This election is a battle for entrepreneurs,” Cuban said in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on Thursday, before he warned that Trump’s trade and tariff policies would drive up prices, ruin Christmas by making gifts more expensive, and “crush the dreams” of entrepreneurs by making their costs unsustainable.
“Donald Trump is the Grinch that wants to steal your Christmas,” he said. “The Grinch doesn’t understand how tariffs work. … The Grinch is the one that’s going to be putting these small businesses out of business.”