In a recent private meeting with fellow billionaires, tech tycoon Elon Musk appeared to endorse the far-right Great Replacement Theory as an explanation for why he is backing former President Donald Trump, reported The Daily Beast on Monday.
The Great Replacement Theory holds that nonwhite people are being imported from abroad to deliberately change the demographics and political nature of the country. It has been the basis for a number of domestic extremists, including the racist gunman who carried out a mass shooting at a supermarket in a Black neighborhood in Buffalo two years ago. Some Republican lawmakers have pushed the idea, like Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY).
According to freelance reporter David Gardner, Musk "reportedly claimed that President Joe Biden’s policies would allow millions of undocumented immigrants to cross over from Mexico into the U.S. and derail the country’s economy. It would also change the demographics to hurt the GOP’s chances in elections for years to come, he was quoted as saying."
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The other billionaires in the room visibly "shook their heads and winced" in reaction to what Musk was saying, per reports.
Musk, who has also opened up about how his child coming out as transgender radicalized him to the cultural right, was previously reported as committing $45 million a month to a pro-Trump super PAC. He has since walked this back, saying it won't be that much.
This comes as Trump goes on a posting spree at his Truth Social account on Monday morning, including several screenshots of posts by Musk that are favorable to him.
In one of these screenshots, Musk says that he "fully endorse[s]" Trump and wishes him well recovering from his injury following the assassination attempt earlier this month. In another, Musk screenshots another post of tech investor David Sacks listing off a number of his associates in the industry that are also endorsing Trump.