Former President Donald Trump and his allies at the Republican National Committee (RNC) are reportedly seeking to enlist Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk as a speaker for the GOP convention scheduled for July, according to individuals familiar with the matter as reported by CNBC.
Republican leaders perceive that offering Musk a platform at the convention might attract some of his supporters, potentially bolstering the party’s historically limited backing among young adult voters on Election Day, according to a source acquainted with this viewpoint.
Expected to secure confirmation as the Republican presidential nominee at the event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Trump is set for a rematch with President Joe Biden in the forthcoming November election.
Rumors of Musk’s prospective speaking role emerged following his purported meeting with Trump and a cohort of affluent Republican donors in Palm Beach, Florida, over the past weekend. However, it remains unclear whether Trump or his associates have broached the idea with Musk directly.
This gathering took place shortly before the former president’s resounding victories in the Super Tuesday primaries, prompting his primary challenger, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, to withdraw from the nomination contest.
Should Musk, who also owns the social media platform X, decide to participate in the convention, it would imply, and potentially explicitly signify, his endorsement of Trump’s candidacy.
Notably, Peter Thiel, a long-time financial supporter of Musk and co-founder of PayPal, fulfilled a similar role when he addressed the 2016 Republican National Convention, which marked Trump’s initial nomination for president.
According to one source familiar with the situation, interest within RNC leadership to secure Musk as a speaker had previously been raised with Ronna McDaniel, who resigned as RNC chair at the committee’s Houston meeting on Friday.
The source suggested that the new RNC chair, Michael Whatley, and the new RNC co-chair, Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law, are likely supportive of inviting Musk to speak.
Neither Trump’s representatives nor those of the RNC responded to requests for comment, and Musk did not respond either.
The decision on whether the RNC will extend an invitation to Musk, and whether he would accept it, remains pending.
While Musk, with an estimated net worth of nearly $200 billion, declared this week that he has no intention to donate to either Trump’s or Biden’s campaigns, advisors close to Trump are reportedly hopeful that Musk may begin supporting the Republican candidate.
Notably, Musk had previously expressed support for the Republican presidential bid of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who abandoned his campaign in January following poor primary results against Trump.
In past elections, Musk did not endorse Trump, with whom he has had contentious interactions. In 2017, Musk resigned from a White House advisory council in protest against the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris climate accord.
Additionally, in 2022, Trump criticized Musk after the latter claimed to have never previously voted for a Republican, prompting Musk to respond via Twitter.
While Musk characterizes himself as “moderate,” his public political statements have gradually shifted towards the right in recent years. Since assuming control of X in 2022, Musk’s social and political commentary on the platform has become more assertive.
Furthermore, Musk’s acquisition of X led to his commitment to reinstate Trump’s banned account on the platform, despite previous assertions by Trump that he would not return to X even if the ban were lifted.
Thiel, a former Facebook board member, indicated last fall that he does not intend to financially support any Republican candidates, including Trump, stating that Trump’s presidential administration was “crazier” and “more dangerous” than he had anticipated.
