- Elon Musk met Donald Trump by chance at a breakfast in Florida, he told Don Lemon in a new interview.
- The former President did not ask for a campaign donation or a loan for legal bills, Musk said.
- Wealthy Republican donors also attended the event, The New York Times previously reported.
Elon Musk denied that Donald Trump sought campaign donations when they met in Florida earlier this month.
The X owner told Don Lemon in an interview released on Monday that their meeting on March 3 was a chance encounter.
“I was at a breakfast at a friend’s place, and Donald Trump came by. That’s it,” Musk said.
Lemon, the former CNN anchor, asked what the two talked about.
“Let’s just say he did most of the talking,” replied Musk. “I don’t recall him saying anything that he hasn’t said publicly.”
The Don Lemon Show episode 1: Elon Musk
TIMESTAMPS:
(02:23) News on X
(10:07) Donald Trump and Endorsing a Candidate
(13:04) The New Tesla Roadster
(16:46) Relaxation and Video Games
(17:54) Tweeting and Drug Use
(23:19) The Great Replacement Theory
(30:03) Content Moderation… pic.twitter.com/bLRae4DhyO— Don Lemon (@donlemon) March 18, 2024
A number of wealthy GOP donors were also at the event where Trump encountered Musk amid the former president’s fundraising efforts for his re-election campaign, The New York Times previously reported.
Musk said the interview with Lemon that Trump did not ask him for a campaign donation, or a loan to help pay his legal costs: “I’m not paying his legal bills in any way, shape or form … and he did not ask me for money.”
Musk, one of the world’s wealthiest people, has previously said he will not donate to any presidential candidate.
He reiterated that stance in Monday’s interview, saying that while it was possible he would endorse a candidate closer to the November election, it remained “unlikely” that he would ever contribute financially.
“While I’ll voice my opinion, I don’t want to put a thumb on the scale monetarily,” he said.
Though Musk said he had not made a decision as to who he’d vote for, he jokingly added: “I’m leaning away from Biden. I’ve made no secret of that.”
Musk, once a Democratic donor, has publicly feuded with President Joe Biden in recent years over his perceived snub of Tesla.
Musk didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.