The billionaire said used to vote for Democratic presidential candidates but no longer considers it the party of meritocracy and free speech.
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Since the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, Elon Musk has vowed support for the Republican party and created a super PAC to fund the campaign.
While Musk's social media platform X has developed a reputation as the right-wing version of Twitter and the billionaire has increasingly combatted liberal ideology on the platform, he said in a live interview on X with Jordan B. Peterson Monday that he voted for Democratic candidates in the last three presidential elections.
Up until the shooting, Musk repeatedly said he was undecided about who to vote for, despite several meetings with Trump. The two even had a rocky relationship prior to and during Trump's presidency, with Musk openly speaking out against the former President's candidacy in 2016.
So what made Musk commit to the other side for this election?
The billionaire said he used to consider the Democratic party "the party of meritocracy," "personal freedom," and "free speech." But these days, he considers it the censorship party under the guise of "hate speech." He also said he finds DEI to be "another form of racism and sexism" that has resulted in division.
Those factors have led him to "weirdly" consider the Republican party more in line with meritocracy and personal freedom, even though he still sees flaws in extremist right-wing ideology, he said in the interview.
"For me, it's really just, you know, I've got a choice of administrations," Musk said in the interview. "And we have to pick one."
The billionaire also expressed a desire for as little "government intervention possible." He raised the example of a "crazy" lawsuit the Biden Administration took against SpaceX for not hiring asylum seekers after his company was legally not allowed to hire non-permanent US residents.
The lawsuit alleges the company was discriminatory during its recruitment and hiring process, violating the Immigration and Nationality Act.
"You really have to take an active role in reducing the number of laws and regulations," Musk said in the interview. "Otherwise, as more and more laws and regulations are passed, eventually everything becomes illegal."
Musk also said he thinks "America needs a strong leader," especially when dealing with leaders from countries like Russia, China, and North Korea. The billionaire said that Trump is brave and has "instinctual courage," which isn't "calculated."
"I think they will be intimidated by a guy who's fist bumping after getting shot," Musk said.
Musk also mentioned his concerns about transgender laws for children under the age of 18. The billionaire, whose child transitioned to a female, said he was "tricked into" signing papers to approve the transition.
"So I vowed to destroy the woke-mind virus after that," Musk said in the interview. "So we're making some progress."
