US

Musk would back Trump rival in 2024 election – with former president under fire for dining with white supremacist

Elon Musk says he would support Republican Ron DeSantis if the Florida governor runs in the 2024 US presidential election race.

Mr DeSantis was re-elected with nearly 60% of the vote in the midterms and has been tipped as a potential candidate to be the next US leader.

Musk’s apparent endorsement of Mr DeSantis comes as rival Republican Donald Trump has been under fire for dining with a known white supremacist.

Musk wrote on Twitter: “My preference for the 2024 presidency is someone sensible and centrist. I had hoped that would the case for the Biden administration, but have been disappointed so far.”

Asked if he would support DeSantis in 2024, the Tesla owner replied in a tweet: “Yes.”

“As a reminder, I was a significant supporter of the Obama-Biden presidency and (reluctantly) voted for Biden over Trump,” Musk said.

When asked previously about Musk’s support, Mr DeSantis joked: “I welcome support from African-Americans, what can I say.”

Musk, who is white, grew up in South Africa.

Read more: Could DeSantis thwart Trump’s fresh run for the White House?

Mr Trump distanced himself on Friday from a pre-Thanksgiving dinner at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida with rapper Kanye West and white supremacist Nick Fuentes.

He has claimed he didn’t know the identity of the far-right activist who was unexpectedly brought along with the rapper, NBC reports.

In a statement on his Truth social platform, Mr Trump said: “This past week, Kanye West called me to have dinner at Mar-a-Lago. Shortly thereafter, he unexpectedly showed up with three of his friends, whom I knew nothing about.”

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