On Monday, billionaire Twitter CEO Elon Musk endorsed Republicans for the upcoming midterm elections, urging voters to vote for a Republican Congress.
Musk’s announcement comes months after he first declared his intention to vote Republican earlier this year. He argued on Monday that having a government divided into two parties is ideal, citing President Biden’s possession of the White House for Democrats before saying Congress should be given to Republicans.
“To independent-minded voters: Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic,” Musk wrote.
Musk’s endorsement follows through on his vow to vote Republican in May.
“I have voted overwhelmingly for Democrats, historically – overwhelmingly. Like, I’m not sure, I might never have voted for a Republican, just to be clear. Now this election, I will,” he said at the time.
Republicans are expected to take control of the House on Tuesday, but control of the Senate is a toss-up, according to polls.
The endorsement comes less than a week after Musk took over Twitter and began drastically altering the platform, much to the chagrin of media figures and many Democrats.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., targeted Musk last week, sending a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen highlighting Saudi royal family members as prominent Twitter investors. However, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal purchased his stake in Twitter long before Musk did.
“I write to draw your attention to potential national security concerns arising from the recently completed takeover of Twitter, Inc. by Elon Musk and a number of private investors,” Murphy wrote to Yellen, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Punchbowl News. “Setting aside the vast stores of data that Twitter has collected on American citizens, any potential that Twitter’s foreign ownership will result in increased censorship, misinformation, or political violence is a grave national security concern.”
When Musk announced the firings of several top executives at the company, including CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, and head of legal policy, trust, and safety Vijaya Gadde, critics were outraged.
Gadde spearheaded the company’s effort to have the Hunter Biden laptop story, which was first published in the New York Post prior to the 2020 election, censored.
Musk’s stated goal in purchasing Twitter was to protect free speech, stating last week that a public square open to diverse viewpoints is required for democracy to thrive.
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