Elon Musk Befriends Billionaire Friends Over Distrust of Democrats: Report

• Elon Musk and David Sacks hosted an elite dinner for billionaires that turned political, Puck reported.
• Musk has exerted his political influence but has yet to endorse a presidential candidate.
• In recent years, Musk has blasted the policies of Democratic politicians and supported Republicans.

Elon Musk, at an exclusive dinner in April, commiserated with a group of billionaires over their distrust of Democratic politicians such as Joe Biden, Puck recently reported.

The outlet said 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 Treasury secretary under Donald Trump, Puck reported.

Puck said the attendees were part of a “burgeoning anti-Biden mastermind group, united by a shared sense of grievance,” with the evening's conversation centered on raising money to defeat Democratic politicians and Elon Musk's concerns about the migrant crisis in the United States.

As Musk increasingly publicly criticizes Biden's policies, particularly regarding illegal immigration, which Musk believes helped Biden win the presidency, according to the Houston Chronicle The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has not officially endorsed any political candidate for the upcoming 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 said his presence was not a political gesture. No political discussions at the dinner, Milken's representative said, revolved around support for any particular party or candidate.

Milken, in 1990, pleaded guilty to six securities fraud charges related to an insider trading investigation. 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 BI's requests for comment.

Puck reported that while the dinner was not explicitly pro-Trump, Musk had in recent weeks told associates that he planned to deepen his growing role as a political influencer and wondered whether he had to support Trump in this year's election or simply make a public statement against Biden.

While he's not a prolific donor as far as billionaires go, Musk's history of political contributions is pretty Republican. Open Secrets reported last year that Musk donated $688,350 to federal candidates and party committees from 2004 to 2020, 50.1% of which went to Republican causes. The biggest beneficiary of Musk's donations was the National Republican Congressional Committee, which had received $246,800 from him since 2004, the campaign finance watchdog reported.

“In the past I voted Democrat, because they were (for the most part) the party of kindness,” Musk wrote in a tweet in May 2022. He later criticized the Democratic Partyadding: “But they have become the party of division and hatred, so I can no longer support them and I will vote Republican.”

Since then, his online rhetoric has increasingly reflected far-right rhetoric, accusing the New York Times of going “completely awake” and saying everyone should “stop” focusing on racism.

He also urged “independent voters” to vote republican to curb a Democratic majority.

In March, Musk met with Trump in Palm Beach, Florida, and said in an interview with the former CNN anchor Don Lemon that he was “moving away” from Biden.

“While I express my opinion, I think I don't want to put an inch on a financially significant scale,” Musk told Lemon about his political contributions. “I could, in the final stretch, support a candidate, but I don’t know it yet.”

Correction: May 1, 2024 An earlier version of this article misrepresented the charges to which Michael Milken pleaded guilty in 1990. He pleaded guilty to securities fraud, but not racketeering.