As many as 73 million people reportedly tuned in to hear former President Donald Trump’s interview with Elon Musk this week, making it possibly the most listened-to interview in history. After Musk and other noteworthy Silicon Valley figures have thrown their support behind Trump this cycle, the conversation, which took place on X (formerly Twitter) could be just the latest evidence of growing support for Trump in the heart of liberal America.
Musk, who backed Biden in 2020, famously endorsed Trump just a few hours after he was nearly killed at a Pennsylvania rally on July 13. Musk’s simple post, which included a video of Trump pumping his fist in the air after narrowly escaping an assassin’s bullet, read, “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.” The post has amassed 219 million views.
According to Musk, his conversation with Trump and subsequent posts about it by other accounts have reached even more eyeballs – allegedly crossing one billion views just a few hours after the interview ended Monday evening. As part of the pair’s dialogue, Musk praised Trump for his actions following the shooting and reiterated his support for Trump’s agenda, which he has called “common sense.”
But Musk is hardly the only formerly Democrat tech visionary to back Trump this cycle, and in recent months the “conversion stories” of these high-profile individuals have become an important if underreported phenomenon in the 2024 election cycle. In addition to a reflection of just how much the Democrat Party has alienated some of its previously staunch supporters, this development reflects the erosion of the stigma around publicly supporting Trump that the corporate media and liberal establishment had worked so hard to build.
Other former Biden backers have offered even more detailed accounts of how they came to their decision to instead support Trump this year, with perhaps the most intriguing entry into this genre being a lengthy X post from former PayPal president and cryptocurrency pioneer David Marcus.
“I am crossing the Rubicon and backing the Republican Party and President Trump,” Marcus wrote on July 31, going on to explain how a series of events during 2019 and 2020, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the Hunter Biden laptop cover-up, served as a political awakening of sorts for him. That has since been followed by the growing extremism of the Democrat Party, which Marcus says “has dictated policies from which I’ve found myself estranged.”
“I believe we need a President who is unequivocally pro: America, the Constitution, business, Bitcoin/crypto, innovation, Israel, small government, legal immigration, free speech, meritocracy, and common sense — and anti: regulatory proliferation, illegal immigration, unjust wars, Iran’s current regime, and domestic groups that oppose American values,” Marcus concluded. “These issues are central to President Trump’s platform.”
In June, David Sacks, a venture capitalist and founder of Yammer, published his own conversion story and account of why he believes Trump is the clear choice this November. One by one, Sacks laid out how the Biden-Harris administration has failed the country on the economy, foreign policy, and the border.
Notably, Sacks also delved into the Democrat lawfare against Trump, warning about Biden’s “selective and unprecedented prosecutions of his once and future opponent from the moment he assumed office.”
“My immigration to this country as a young boy happened because my parents disagreed with the political system of their home country,” Sacks continued. “That government sought to solve its political disagreements by imprisoning its political enemies. What a sad irony that the lawfare we escaped has now reared its ugly head in America of all places.”
A month later, Sacks also spoke at the RNC convention, echoing many of his prior arguments for why the country needs Trump back in the White House. “The Biden-Harris administration has taken a world that was at peace under President Trump, and they lit it on fire,” Sacks said. “We still don’t know which puppet Democrat Party bosses will install as their nominee, but we know what their agenda will be: four more years of chaos and failure, both at home and abroad.”
Although not a Silicon Valley CEO or founder, renowned investor, hedge fund manager, and longtime Democrat Bill Ackman also endorsed Trump following the failed assassination attempt, promising a lengthy conversion story of his own which he has yet to publish. “Please keep an open mind on the upcoming presidential election,” Ackman wrote. “Bear in mind that your views on Trump have likely been dramatically affected if you have sourced your info on Trump from mainstream media or friends or family who have relied on mainstream media as a source of knowledge.”
To be sure, there have been a few Trump supporters among business and Silicon Valley elites going all the way back to 2016. While 95 percent of all political donations from tech employees went to Democrats eight years ago, figures like Peter Thiel became notable exceptions.
But now the chorus for Trump has become louder and far more numerous. The willingness of high-profile individuals to not only back Trump but go to great lengths to explain their reasoning – and by extension persuade others to see things the same way – feels like an entirely different phenomenon.
One of the most potent weapons the left has long wielded against Trump is the ability to use groupthink and cancel culture to intimidate into silence anyone with cultural influence who might publicly support him. That some high-profile individuals now feel compelled to not only support Trump but bear their souls online about it is perhaps an indication of a broader political awakening that extends far beyond the elite class to countless other voters who are fed up with the liberal establishment.
Most concerningly for Democrats, the mob mentality they created against Trump may now start to turn against them. If the left continues to see defections among the ranks of societal elites, their grip on American culture, not just the White House and Congress in 2024, may be in serious jeopardy.
Shane Harris is a writer and political consultant from Southwest Ohio. You can follow him on X @shaneharris513.
More than a billion people from all over the world tuned in at one time or another to the Elon and Donald interview. Two rich people who have understanding of America and its citizens. Who have put their money where it does the most good. Two people who selfishly are working to save America not to destroy her. To spread love and unity instead of hatred and division. All over the world people are hoping that there will be a change of leadership in America. The new world order that is directed out of Davos has to be defeated. That the EU sent a letter to Musk threatening him if he dared to air the interview and they would go after him shows how far they are, they think they are, in control of the new world order. The comment of the MSM shows you that Trump and Musk are on the right side to save America. Every time you watch an interview by the left with Trump and Vance they argue because they don’t want to hear the truth. They don’t ask these questions of kameltoe or tampon Tim. Hell we don’t even know what they think about anything. We get a word salad every time from Kameltoe and tampon Tim is yelling and screaming but not saying anything. And now they are flip flopping and plagiarizing Trump. They are not working for America and its citizens they are working for the elites that are paying for them to do their bidding. The left has lied to the American people since O and they have been working at perfecting it ever since. Through lying and scheming and making terrorists out of their opposition. We are seen as the enemy to be eliminated and they almost succeeded. But divine intervention stopped them. TRUMP/VANCE in 2024 to save America and its people.
The nation will know the results after the elections are over. The nation will either be in a reprieve or more turmoil to come. It will also come down to the certification on 6 Jan 2025 as to whether or not the Demos want to destroy the nation with their threats and antics. Hopefully, sensible heads will prevail.
I have supported President Trump since 2016. I never voted for Obama or any of the Bushes. It is interesting to see so many people come late to the realization of the damage the ruling class has done to this country.To me Clinton, Bush, Obama are all the same animal.
This is a well written, persuasive essay. I hope this trend continues..
When that conservative light comes on, it hard to unsee the deception we were programmed to believe. Hopefully more people will see that light.
Musk is emerging as a full scale hero. In spite of the demonic rats/propagandia/technocratic battle for globalism, Musk’s battle for truth is saving the day.
Let freedom ring!
According to “Squirrely Simple” (she of curly locks), Slow Joe wants to interfere in free speech to stop “misinformation.” This goes along with the EU who threaten to arrest people whose speech they don’t like. Hooray for Musk who believes in ALL free speech. Wish some billionaire would buy a lame-stream TV network so we could hear some truth from them!
You had a Washington Post (owned by Jeff Bezos) asking Biden’s Bagdad Bob at a press conference about what measures the WH is taking to stop Twitter X “disinformation” and as well you have Democrats asking the same thing. The European Union is threatening legal action… SO THIS IS WHAT “SAVING DEMOCRACY” LOOKS LIKE?
Awesome article !
Wake-up America !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our Freedoms are about (all)) to be:
“LOST”-Yes Lost :
Are Close to being Lost ! ????????????
Many union members will turn their backs on democrats this year. Joe Biden and his band of woke no nothings have turned many people against the democratic party. The constant lies coming from the main stream media to misguide voters on the decision making process is unbelievable. If you depend on the main stream media for your information to determine who you will vote for is sadly a propaganda machine for democrats, There is no fair and balanced reporting by main stream media. Of course you must be living under a rock to not already know this. The main thing you need to know is that if you vote for Kamala your taxes are going up. If you vote for Trump your taxes are going down. That is enough said, what else do you need to know.
A rapidly surge by many who do not believe in, nor support, the democrats.
I strongly hope more of these elites wake up and stop supporting those who will destroy us all. The current Democrat Party is not the one of the past but a party that is so radical and power hungry they have lost all ethics and morals. All they want to do is control the lives and minds of the people by whatever means it takes which appears to be destroying us all.
73 million. Lol. It was 1.3 million.
These folks have larger antennae than most of us. My guess is that they see outright confiscation of assets if the demon party is not stopped. Pocahantas was talking about wealth taxes just a couple yrs ago. This evolution is highly desirable because these guys can influence millions.
I believe the left has finally bitten off much more than they can chew! A pretty natural occurrence when all that you do is gaslight, lie and cheat! There is an ultimate “end” to that path and the Democrat party is learning that lesson as I write this! Thank God!
The awakening has begun! It is time for the American people to step-up and grab on to their beliefs not only for Trump but their abilities to empower themselves. We must be United as a whole and believe in the laws not created by man but that of a love for ourselves, country, freedom, and each other. It is time…the War we fight isn’t the enemy but what we are divided. The whole of our United States is for the People to come together as one.
The sick world of Harris she did nothing while in office with Biden now she will save the world and all the people of this country. and the mega packs that lie for her she will now as president make this country so great also along with the VP who hates only one thing in this country and that is President Trump both Harris and him do not have a game plan for this country but in Chicago she will lay out her great game plan for this country.
I wish this information could be on mainstream media news so people would know the truth.
Their plagiarism of Donald Trump should make him happy … They are liars , thieves & bullies , definitely not leadership material . If you go on DONALDJTRUMP.COM to the menu he has his AGENDA 47 .. How I wish he would go over his agenda at every rally & speech . His agenda for America is a breath of fresh air . We need it to blow the stink out of Washington .
Other than Musk, are not ALL THREE of the converts the article profiles globalist, Zionist Jews? One of them, the thug-oligarch Bill Ackman, is among America’s leading opponents of the First Amendment, having publicly undertaken to coordinate his fellow Zionist billionaires to blacklist college students critical of Israel, thus crushing the students’ careers.
The three converts, stampeding the United States into World War III, are political chameleons and fake patriots with foreign hearts. They should not be profiled here. They should better be deported.
So now the Republicans are aligned with big tech?
I can’t STAND references to the “RNC convention”. That’s almost as bad as the “ATM machine”, etc.
If you can’t take enough time to write “Republican national convention”, then at least say “GOP convention”.
Gawd.
How far are those calling themselves democrats prepared to go? Is there a chance that they may stop their deception and treachery ,stop the destruction they are causing and accept the fact that we the people really do not want them at the helm? There probably are quite few of those more than willing to abandon the line but they are scared out of their wits to do so.
Host Trump rally in area? Needed
Shane ( I love that last name ‘Harris”) buddy, whoa, whoa, let’s not get carried away with enthusiasm for a few silicon valley guys endorsing trump. If they have even a modicum of influence on their colleagues, it won’t make a bit of difference in California or the West Coast, having voted heavy democrat for decades. Neither will their donations change the outcome in November. Have you seen the polls over the last few weeks? Harris/Walz have passed Trump/Vance and are pulling away. And have you seen Trump’s press conferences, rallies, social media? He is a grumpy, boorish, rattled, confused, angry old man. He’ll only get worse from now to November.