Sept 18 (Askume) – Billionaire Elon Musk is backing Republican former President Donald Trump in the race for the White House , but his company’s employees are largely supporting Trump’s Democratic rival Kamala Harris .
Tesla (TSLA.O) employees have donated $42,824 to Harris’ presidential campaign, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks U.S. campaign donations and lobbying data.
Employees of Musk’s rocket company SpaceX have donated $34,526 to Harris and $7,652 to Trump. Employees of the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, have donated $13,213 to Harris and less than $500 to Trump.
Though the campaign’s fundraising totals are relatively small, they reflect a different political leaning than Musk’s. Musk, the world’s richest man, promotes Trump on X and denounces left-wing ideas as a “woke virus.”
Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He endorsed President Joe Biden in 2020 but has since moved to the right. Trump has said that if he wins the Nov. 5 election , he would appoint Musk to lead the Council on Government Effectiveness.
The OpenSecrets profile includes donations received from company employees and owners, as well as those individuals’ immediate family members. Campaign finance laws prohibit companies from making their own contributions to federal campaigns.
Ross Gerber, CEO of Tesla shareholder Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management, said many of Musk’s employees live in California, a Democratic stronghold. Gerber is also an investor in X.
In July this year, Musk said he would move the headquarters of X and SpaceX from California to Texas because of California’s gender identity law . He described it as the “final hurdle”. Gerber said the move would mean California would “lose a lot of potential talent.”
