Elon Musk sends warning about Donald Trump
Many expected Elon Musk to react with outrage about Donald Trump’s indictment, even to add his voice to the millions of supporters of the former president.
Those supporters consider the charges a political attack by the Democrats, intended to weaken the leading Republican candidate for president.
But to everyone’s surprise, Musk, the CEO of Tesla (TSLA) – Get Free Report and the richest man in the U.S., who has been voting Republican since last year, remained measured.
Apart from a few words of humor in response to statements by Twitter users, the billionaire has said little about the legal setbacks of Trump, who on April 4 became the first U.S. president to be indicted in court.
In the days leading up to the indictment, Musk had made his strongest declaration on the matter. He had warned, in mid-March, that an indictment of Trump would have huge political consequences for the race for the White House.
Musk Expected Trump to Win if He Were Indicted
“If this happens, Trump will be reelected in a landslide victory,” the billionaire predicted on March 18, after the former president said that day that he expected to be arrested on March 21.
Musk prefers the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, as the Republican Party candidate for president in 2024. But the billionaire also believes that in a divided America, judicially attacking Trump helps reinforce these deep divisions.
Musk voted Republican for the first time during the midterm elections and has become a conservative icon since he decided to make Twitter a Republican stronghold. Yet the tech mogul still describes himself as a moderate. (Musk purchased Twitter in October.)
Trump was arraigned April 4, 17 days after he said he would be arrested. On Tuesday, the former president was accused by Manhattan prosecutors of orchestrating a hush-money scheme to help pave his path to the presidency and then covering it up while he was in the White House.
He was indicted on 34 felony counts, and he appeared in a Manhattan courtroom. Trump, who becomes the first former president in U.S. history to be indicted, pleaded not guilty in the case.
Musk did not make any abrasive comment on the events. He chose wisdom over provocation or invective, unlike many Republicans on Twitter, who see the arrest of the former president as a political attack.
‘Avoid Losing Trust of the American Public’: Musk
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) posted a message about the indictment.
“I believe that Donald Trump will have a fair trial that follows the facts and the law,” the Senate majority leader tweeted on Apr. 4. “There’s no place in our justice system for any outside influence or intimidation in the legal process. As the trial proceeds, protest is an American right, but all protests must be peaceful.”
Musk chose to respond by sending a warning to the Democrats.
“To avoid losing the trust of the American public, it is important that our justice system pursue Democrats and Republicans with equal vigor,” the tech mogul commented. “Whichever party most puts justice before nepotism is the one that deserves trust.”
Musk implies that the Democrats, who today argue that the charges against the former president reflect only the proper functioning of the justice system, should take a similar stance when it comes to one of their own. He suggests that prosecutors like Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg should prosecute Democrats with the same vigor to uphold the law.
Musk’s comment seems to be advice to his former political peers not to be driven by any political agenda. For Musk, until the Democrats put the same effort into pursuing wrongdoing by their own, they cannot really speak of a fair justice system.