Elon Musk says Vivek Ramaswamy should be the GOP's VP pick for the 2024 election
Chesnot/Getty Images; Win McNamee/Getty Images
- Elon Musk says Vivek Ramaswamy should be the running mate of whoever becomes the GOP's 2024 pick.
- "He should get it imo," Musk wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
- Musk was responding to a tweet speculating that Ramaswamy "wants the VP pick."
Elon Musk is coming out in support of yet another controversial Republican figure. This time, he says he's throwing his weight behind the idea of GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for vice president.
On Sunday, right-wing blogger Mike Cernovich wrote on X — the social media platform previously known as Twitter — that "Vivek is powerful." In response, an X user with the ID @AsTheWorldBurnz speculated that Ramaswamy "wants the VP pick."
"He should get it imo," Musk tweeted in response to @AsTheWorldBurnz.
Musk on Sunday responded to another tweet about Ramaswamy, this time from Ashley St. Clair, a writer at the right-wing satire site Babylon Bee.
"I can't help but love Vivek. The mass shooting issue is the result of a mental health crisis. We've created a society intolerable for many," St. Clair wrote on X on Sunday, appearing to refer to the Saturday shooting at a Dollar General song in Jacksonville, Florida, that left three Black people dead. "Bring back mental institutions. Stop pumping people full of psych meds. Revive a sense of purpose for humanity."
"100," Musk responded.
Musk, who's known for picking fights, stirring the pot, and posting hot takes on X, did not elaborate on why he's backing Ramaswamy.
Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, announced his candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination in February. Portraying himself as a conservative firebrand, he's carved out a place for himself in a crowded field of candidates. He's pulled high-profile stunts like rapping on Fox News and channeling Eminem at the Iowa State Fair.
In the past week alone, Ramaswamy has compared Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley to the "modern grand wizard of the KKK," claimed racism is often "manufactured," and blamed former Vice President Mike Pence for missing a "historic opportunity" on January 6, 2021, to push through election reforms.
Musk's interest in Ramaswamy seems to have been piqued after Ramaswamy's breakout performance at the GOP debate last week. On Friday, Ramaswamy said he would like Musk to be a White House advisor if he clinches the presidency in 2024.
"I expect him to be an interesting advisor of mine," Ramaswamy said.
Ramaswamy is not the only GOP candidate Musk has publicly said he supports. On multiple occasions throughout 2022, Musk said he would be back Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the GOP nomination, and by extension, the presidency. In May, Musk hosted DeSantis' campaign launch livestream on a glitch-filled Twitter Spaces, during which DeSantis had to speed-read his announcement.
While Musk has publicly said he's behind various GOP figures, his political donations history, as tracked by Open Secrets, shows he has a history of giving money to Democrats and Republicans alike. The current frontrunner in the GOP race is former President Donald Trump, who Musk has openly feuded with.
Musk's representatives at X did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours. Ramaswamy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours.