Marc Piasecki via Getty Images; Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
Melinda French Gates has given her first-ever presidential endorsement, and Elon Musk isn't too happy about it.
"Might be the downfall of western civilization," Musk said in response to an X post by The Babylon Bee staffer Ashley St. Clair on Gates' endorsement of Biden.
Gates formally endorsed Biden in an X post published Thursday.
"I've never endorsed a presidential candidate before. But this year's election stands to be so enormously consequential for women and families that, this time, I can't stay quiet," Gates wrote.
Might be the downfall of western civilization
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 20, 2024
In March, Musk similarly criticized Jeff Bezos' ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, for her charitable giving.
"'Super rich ex-wives who hate their former spouse' should filed be listed among 'Reasons that Western Civilization died,'" Musk said in a now-deleted X post on March 6.
And it sure looks like endorsing Biden has earned Gates a spot on Musk's list of bad billionaire exes.
"Many super villain arcs being pursued under the guise of philanthropy," St. Clair said in a follow-up post.
"Yeah," Musk replied.
For what it's worth, Musk isn't a fan of Gates' ex-husband, Bill Gates either.
According to Musk's biography, the Tesla CEO was furious that the Microsoft founder had shorted his company's stock.
"How can someone say they are passionate about fighting climate change and then do something that reduced the overall investment in the company doing the most? It's pure hypocrisy," Musk told his biographer Walter Isaacson.
To be sure, Musk's contempt for Gates' former spouse may also stem from his own distaste for President Joe Biden.
Musk has repeatedly criticized Biden after Tesla was excluded from the president's 2021 electric-vehicle summit.
"Biden held this EV summit, didn't invite Tesla. Invited GM, Ford, Chrysler, and UAW [United Auto Workers Union]. An EV summit at the White House," Musk told journalist Kara Swisher in September 2021. "Didn't mention Tesla once, and praised GM and Ford for leading the EV revolution."
The mercurial billionaire has also criticized Biden's handling of the Southern border crisis and accused the Democratic Party of being "controlled by unions."
In November, Musk told journalist Aaron Ross Sorkin at The New York Times DealBook Summit that he was unlikely to vote for Biden. Musk has, however, stopped short of endorsing former President Donald Trump.
That said, Musk does seem to have grown increasingly closer to Trump.
Last week, Musk revealed in a Tesla shareholder meeting that he receives random phone calls from Trump. The former president, Musk said, was "very nice" on the phone.
"I have had some conversations with him, and he does call me out of the blue for no reason. I don't know why, but he does," Musk said.
Representatives for Musk and Gates did not respond to requests for comment from BI sent outside regular business hours.
