Elon Musk annoys and irritates Democrats, especially the left wing of the party.
The billionaire and his rival Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon (AMZN), symbolize the widening of socio-economic inequalities between the haves and the have-nots, according to progressives.
They want to tax the rich more, whom they accuse of not paying enough taxes. Their criticism of Musk increased tenfold after the Tesla (TSLA) CEO announced he would vote Republican in the midterm elections.
"I voted for Mayra Flores – first time I ever voted Republican," Musk posted on Twitter last June. "Massive red wave in 2022."
Musk vs. Biden
The same day, the billionaire had indicated that he was leaning toward the Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, as the conservative candidate for the presidential election of 2024.
Musk in turn accuses the Democrats of intolerance. He also believes that the progressive wing of the Democratic Party now dominates the party with its ideas such as woke-ism.
But the tycoon's anger against the Democrats is also directed against their leader, namely President Joe Biden. The serial entrepreneur has never managed to forgive Biden for having snubbed Tesla for more than a year, while the environmental policies of the Democratic president are in line with the mission that the manufacturer of electric vehicles has set itself.
Musk did not like that Biden went so far as to present General Motors (GM) as the leading vehicle manufacturer on the issue of clean cars, while Tesla is the world leader and the Detroit giant is lagging behind.
Biden had repeatedly claimed that General Motors, under Chief Executive Mary Barra, leads the electric-vehicle revolution in the U.S.
"In the auto industry, Detroit is leading the world in electric vehicles. You know how critical it is?" Biden said last November.
"Mary [Barra], I remember talking to you way back in January about the need for America to lead in electric vehicles. I can remember your dramatic announcement that by 2035, GM would be 100% electric. You changed the whole story, Mary. You did, Mary. You electrified the entire automotive industry. I’m serious. You led, and it matters.”
In 2021, Tesla delivered nearly a million electric vehicles, compared with fewer than 25,000 units at GM, which had to suspend production of the Chevy Bolt and Chevy Bolt EUV for a safety problem.
So it's no surprise that Musk never misses an opportunity to criticize Biden.
"It’s hard to tell what Biden is doing to be totally frank,” Musk said during an interview last May. "The real president is whoever controls the teleprompter. The path to power is the path to the teleprompter. I do feel like if somebody were to accidentally lean on the teleprompter, it’s going to be like ‘Anchorman. ”
Tesla's chief executive officer is referring to the 2004 film about a news anchor who will read anything written on the teleprompter even if it ruins his career.
"This administration, just, it doesn’t seem to get a lot done,” Musk continued. "This administration seems just to not have the drive to just get s--- done. That’s my impression. That's my impression. We definitely need to fix immigration policy, like we had COVID which was an issue."
Musk Applauds Biden
It seems, however, that Biden has managed to do something that the billionaire considers important. He has thus just congratulated the Democratic President after the latter issued a proclamation pardoning all current U.S. citizens and permanent residents convicted on federal charges for simple possession of marijuana.
"As I've said before, no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana. Today, I'm taking steps to end our failed approach," Biden said on Twitter.
Musk commented on Biden's announcement with a thumbs up emoji which is a gesture of approval.
He then said he agreed with co-founder of the me coin Dogecoin (DOGE) who said the marijuana decision is a win for Biden.
Musk's reactions to the cannabis issue aren't exactly surprising. The billionaire smoked cannabis live during a 2018 podcast with Joe Rogan.
He has already used the numbers 420 for two important transactions.
420 also refers to the rallying code for marijuana enthusiasts. April 20 or 4/20 is indeed known to be "Weed Day" or practically a holiday for pot lovers. Smoking weed on April 20, preferably at 4:20 a.m. or p.m., has become something of a custom for cannabis lovers.
In August Musk also asked Biden to make a symbolic gesture for people imprisoned for possession of marijuana in the U.S as the United States were negotiating with Russia over Women's National Basketball Association star Brittney Griner.
Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison for possession of less than a gram of cannabis oil when she went through a Moscow airport on Feb. 17.
