Elon Musk was the guest of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy at a GOP donor event this week in Wyoming, where he said that Republicans need to show compassion for immigrants.
Axios reported that the world’s richest man joined the California Republican on a Q&A panel that covered a variety of topics including the benefits of capitalism, the dangers of socialism and what both political parties could do better.
Mr. Musk said that Republicans should “stay out of people’s bedrooms” and Democrats should “stay out of people’s wallets.”
The SpaceX and Tesla founder also complained to the crowd about the $11 billion tax bill he was ordered to pay after selling Tesla stock last year.
When asked what the Republican Party could do better, according to the Axios report, he responded that compassion towards immigrants is necessary.
Mentioning his own background as an immigrant from South Africa, he pointed out that he chose America because of its opportunities.
Mr. Musk tweeted, before the event on Tuesday, that he still considered himself a political moderate.
“To be clear, I support the left half of the Republican Party and the right half of the Democratic Party!” he tweeted.
Mr. Musk’s participation at the conservative event is the latest in the billionaire’s adventures into politics.
He said he voted for Republican Rep. Mayra Flores in a special congressional election in Texas in June and has expressed support for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“I have voted overwhelmingly for Democrats, historically. Like I’m not sure, I might have never voted for a Republican, just to be clear,” Mr. Musk said at a Miami tech conference in May. “Now this election I will.”
He has somewhat backpedaled his comments on climate change as well over the years.
Famously, the CEO of electric car manufacturer Tesla said that climate change is the “biggest threat humanity has this century.” However, he did not support the Biden administration’s new climate actions and said that the government should just “play referee.”
Republicans, for their part, have also supported Mr. Musk as they continue to crusade against Big Tech censorship. Many conservatives see his potential purchase of Twitter as an excellent opportunity to expose and destroy left-wing bias in the social media giant’s leadership.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.