Musk Says He Is ‘All in’ on Trump in US Election

Tesla CEO Elon Musk (R) speaks on stage as he joins former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally at site of his first assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania on October 5, 2024. (AFP)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk (R) speaks on stage as he joins former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally at site of his first assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania on October 5, 2024. (AFP)
TT

Musk Says He Is ‘All in’ on Trump in US Election

Tesla CEO Elon Musk (R) speaks on stage as he joins former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally at site of his first assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania on October 5, 2024. (AFP)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk (R) speaks on stage as he joins former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally at site of his first assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania on October 5, 2024. (AFP)

Elon Musk is ramping up his public support of Donald Trump, telling Tucker Carlson in a conversation streamed Monday that he is "all in" on the Republican presidential candidate.

After appearing alongside Trump at a weekend rally, the world's richest man used a cozy two-hour chat with Carlson to push right-wing talking points, including what he said was the threat to democracy if Democrat Kamala Harris prevails in November's election.

"My view is that if Trump doesn't win this election, it's the last election we're going to have," the Tesla and SpaceX boss told former Fox News host Carlson.

Musk, who has increasingly courted controversy in recent years, said he believed "illegals" -- migrants -- were being deliberately transported to a handful of key states, where if they are eventually granted citizenship, they would become Democrat voters.

"Now these swing-state margins are sometimes ten- twenty-thousand votes. So what happens if you put hundreds of thousands of people into each swing state?

"So my prediction is, if there's another four years of a Dem administration, they will legalize so many illegals that... the next election there won't be any swing states, and this will be a single-party country."

The assertions from Musk -- who is himself from South Africa -- are a common refrain on the political right, which alleges a conspiracy between Democrats and immigrants.

Musk is increasingly becoming a surrogate for Trump on the campaign trail, and is reportedly planning to make a number of stops in battleground states in the coming weeks.

Over the weekend, he unveiled a program promising to pay $47 to anyone who registers voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and Michigan.

The scheme is looking to copy successful referral programs the South Africa-born entrepreneur has used in the past with his Tesla electric cars.

In his nearly two-hour chat with Carlson, in which the two men chuckled repeatedly at each other's pronouncements, Musk said he had thrown his full backing behind fellow billionaire Trump.

"If he loses, it's going to be hard for you to pretend you never supported him," said Carlson.

"I'm like, all in, baby," replied Musk.

"How long do you think my prison sentence is gonna be?" he chortled, laughing at the idea that the tables would turn against him under a Democratic administration. "Will I see my children? I don't know."



Second Flight Leaves Beirut to Take Brazilians Home

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (C) welcomes citizens fleeing the conflict between Israel and Lebanon on arrival from Beirut on the first rescue flight of the Brazilian government, at Sao Paulo Air Base in Guarulhos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on October 6, 2024. (AFP)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (C) welcomes citizens fleeing the conflict between Israel and Lebanon on arrival from Beirut on the first rescue flight of the Brazilian government, at Sao Paulo Air Base in Guarulhos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on October 6, 2024. (AFP)
TT

Second Flight Leaves Beirut to Take Brazilians Home

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (C) welcomes citizens fleeing the conflict between Israel and Lebanon on arrival from Beirut on the first rescue flight of the Brazilian government, at Sao Paulo Air Base in Guarulhos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on October 6, 2024. (AFP)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (C) welcomes citizens fleeing the conflict between Israel and Lebanon on arrival from Beirut on the first rescue flight of the Brazilian government, at Sao Paulo Air Base in Guarulhos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on October 6, 2024. (AFP)

The second repatriation flight organized by the Brazilian government to assist its nationals left Beirut on Monday, according to a statement from the Brazilian air force.

The plane carrying 227 Brazilians, including 49 children, will stop for fuel in Lisbon before heading to Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos airport, where it is due to arrive Tuesday.

The plane took Lebanon medical and hospital supplies donated by Brazil, Brazil’s foreign ministry said Monday, adding that more will follow in future flights.

The first repatriation flight landed in Sao Paulo on Sunday. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was on site to greet those fleeing the violence.

About 21,000 Brazilians live in Lebanon, which is home to the largest community of Brazilians in the Middle East. Two Brazilian adolescents have been killed by Israeli bombardments in Lebanon.

In a separate statement, Brazil's foreign ministry called “for the immediate release of all hostages and for negotiations that lead to a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.”