- Elon Musk and David Sacks hosted an elite dinner for billionaires that got political, Puck reported.
- Musk has been flexing his political influence but has yet to endorse a presidential candidate.
- In recent years, Musk has lambasted policies by Democratic politicians and endorsed Republicans.
Elon Musk, at an exclusive April dinner, commiserated with a group of billionaires about their distrust in Democratic politicians like Joe Biden, according to a new report by Puck.
The outlet reported that Musk and venture capitalist David Sacks hosted the private event at Sacks’ $23 million estate in the Hollywood Hills. In attendance were Republican donor Peter Thiel, former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, and investment banker Steven Mnuchin, who previously served as secretary of the treasury under Donald Trump.
According to Puck, the attendees were part of a “burgeoning anti-Biden brain trust, united by a shared sense of grievance,” with the evening’s conversation centered around fundraising to defeat Democratic politicians and Musk’s concerns about America’s migrant crisis.
While Musk has increasingly criticized Biden’s policies publicly — especially regarding illegal immigration, which Musk said helped Biden win the presidency, per the Houston Chronicle — the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX hasn’t officially endorsed any political candidate for the coming election.
A representative for financier Michael Milken confirmed to Business Insider that he attended a dinner hosted by Musk and Sacks earlier this month but noted his presence was not a political gesture. Any discussion of politics at the dinner, Milken’s representative said, did not revolve around the endorsement of any particular party or candidate.
Milken, in 1990, pleaded guilty to six racketeering and securities fraud charges related to an insider trading scheme. He was released from prison after two years and was pardoned by then-President Donald Trump 30 years later, in 2020.
Representatives for Musk, Sacks, and other dinner attendees identified by Puck did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
While the dinner wasn’t explicitly pro-Trump, Musk has, in recent weeks, told associates he plans to wade deeper into his growing role as a political influencer and is weighing whether to endorse Trump in this year’s election or just make a public statement against Biden, Puck reported.
Though he is hardly a prolific donor as far as billionaires go, Musk’s history of political contributions leans Republican. OpenSecrets noted that Musk donated $688,350 to federal candidates and party committees between 2004 and 2020, with 50.1% going to Republican causes. The top recipient of Musk’s donations was the National Republican Congressional Committee, which received $246,800 from him since 2004, the campaign finance watchdog reported.
“In the past I voted Democrat, because they were (mostly) the kindness party,” Musk wrote in a tweet in May 2022. He then bashed the Democratic Party, adding: “But they have become the party of division & hate, so I can no longer support them and will vote Republican.”
Since then, his rhetoric online has increasingly mirrored extreme right-wing talking points, accusing The New York Times of going “full woke,” and saying everyone should “move on” from focusing on racism.
He has also urged “independent-minded voters” to vote Republican to curb a Democratic majority.
In March, Musk met with Trump in Palm Beach, Florida, and said he was “leaning away” from Biden in an interview with former CNN anchor Don Lemon.
“While I’ll voice my opinion, I think I don’t want to put a thumb on the scale monetarily that is significant,” Musk told Lemon about his political contributions. “I may, in the final stretch, endorse a candidate, but I don’t know yet.”
