Silicon Valley, a stronghold of Democratic politics, is experiencing a shift as more voices, seemingly emboldened by Elon Musk, have openly declared their support for Donald Trump. The South African-born tech mogul is leading this change, committing nearly $100 million to the Republican’s presidential campaign, while leveraging his X social media platform and personally campaigning in crucial swing states to aid Trump’s White House bid.
“Musk is revered by a lot of people in Silicon Valley,” said tech entrepreneur and author Vivek Wadhwa, who teaches at Carnegie Mellon University. “More people on the right are just saying ‘Look, we’re fed up, we’re going to vote for Trump,’ and they’re doing it fearlessly and are impacting the opinion of others.”
Musk’s embrace of Trump has amplified ideological currents that have long existed quietly in the California tech scene, best represented today by Peter Thiel, a conservative investor who worked with Musk at PayPal 25 years ago.