Elon Musk to support Trump's rival Ron DeSantis if he runs in 2024 US presidential polls

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who recently acquired the microblogging firm Twitter, has stated that if Florida Governor Ron DeSantis decides to run for the US presidency in 2024, the billionaire would support him. Musk made this statement on Friday night. This came when a Twitter user asked, “Would you support Ron DeSantis in 2024, Elon?” Musk replied to it by saying, “yes”.  

Notably, after conservative comedian Tim Young noted that former US President Donald Trump has not used Twitter since his suspension was lifted, Musk made the remark. In a tweet, he said, “I’m fine with Trump not tweeting. The important thing is that Twitter correct a grave mistake in banning his account, despite no violation of the law or terms of service. Deplatforming a sitting President undermined public trust in Twitter for half of America".  

Musk preferred Biden over Donald Trump in 2020 US Presidential election

Additionally, Musk claimed that he supported President Biden over President Trump in the 2020 election after tweeting that he would back DeSantis in a 2024 US election race. Referring to it, he said, “I was a significant supporter of the Obama-Biden presidency and (reluctantly) voted for Biden over Trump". However, he stressed that Twitter as a platform ought to treat everyone equally. 

Following the events on January 6, 2021, at the US Capitol, Trump's Twitter account was suspended. Further, it is pertinent to mention that Musk tweeted in May that while he had previously supported the Democratic Party, he would not rather vote Republican. 

Considering that the Presidency is Democratic, Musk tweeted, "Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress.” 

In the meantime, Elon Musk on November 19 stated that former US President Trump will be permitted to return to the microblogging platform. After a poll revealed that the majority of Twitter users agreed with the statement, Musk tweeted, "The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei."  The Latin expression directly means "the voice of the people is the voice of god," according to the CBS News report. Additionally, this happened after Musk on Friday and Saturday asked Twitter followers if Trump's account should be reinstated, and a narrow majority of answers said yes. 

Shortly after appearing to be suspended, Trump's Twitter account reappeared on the platform with all of his prior tweets—more than 59,000—intact. However, according to CBS News, all of his supporters had previously disappeared. 

(Image: AP)