Mr. Musk has objected when politicians have tried to characterize his views as aligned with theirs, insisting that he prefers to leave politics to others, despite ample evidence on Twitter to the contrary. When Mr. Abbott defended a strict anti-abortion law last year that made the procedure in Texas virtually illegal by citing Mr. Musk’s support, “Elon consistently says he likes social policy in the state of Texas,” the governor said. – Mister Musk pushed back.
“In general, I believe that government should rarely impose its will on the people, striving to maximize their cumulative happiness,” he replied. on Twitter† “That said, I’d rather stay out of politics.”
If that’s the case, he often can’t help himself. He teases political figures who have taken positions with which he disagrees or who have seemingly belittled him. Mr Musk’s Response to Senator Elizabeth Warren After: she said that he should pay more income tax used to be“Please don’t call the manager on me, Senator Karen.”
After one of Mr. Musk’s Twitter fans pointed out that President Biden had failed to congratulate SpaceX on the successful completion of a private spaceflight last fall, Mr. Musk hit back with a jab reminiscent of Mr. Trump “Sleepy Joe”.
“He’s still asleep,” he replied. A few days later, he criticized the Biden administration as “not the friendliest” and accused it of being controlled by unions. These comments came just weeks after he insisted that he prefer to stay out of politics.
Few issues have fueled his anger as the coronavirus restrictions, which hampered Tesla’s manufacturing operations in California and brought him closer to his decision last year to move the company’s headquarters to Texas. That move was very symbolic, however, as Tesla still has its main factory in the San Francisco Bay Area suburb of Fremont, California, and a large office in Palo Alto.
Over the course of the pandemic, Mr. Musk’s outbursts flared up dramatically as he lashed out at state and local governments over stay-at-home orders. He initially defied local regulations requiring his Tesla factory in Fremont to close. He described the lockdowns as “forcibly locking people up in their homes” and posted a libertarian rallying cry on Twitter: “FREE AMERICA NOW.” He threatened to sue Alameda County for the closures before relenting.
