Is Elon Musk Becoming More Like Donald Trump? One Report Suggests So

Comparisons between Tesla Inc owner Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump have become increasingly pronounced in recent times.

Both have weathered their fair share of dramatic narratives, courted controversy with their unfiltered views on societal matters, and showcased a knack for self-promotion.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Musk's recent actions have invited parallels to the Trumpian playbook.

Some have gone so far as to designate Musk as the spiritual successor to Trump on X, the social-media platform he assumed control of in late 2022.

Musk's provocations, including name-calling, questioning election integrity, expressing apprehensions about illegal immigration, and challenging corporate diversity initiatives, have made headlines and sparked debates.

What adds to the resemblance is Musk's adeptness at deploying Trump's own verbiage against his adversaries.

For instance, in a recent tweet, he labeled billionaire Mark Cuban as a racist and resurrected a 2014 Trump tweet that mocked Cuban's business acumen.

Trump's portrayal as a successful businessman propelled him to stardom with the television show "The Apprentice" and secured him lucrative global branding opportunities.

Similarly, Musk's visionary pitches for autonomous vehicles and Mars missions played a pivotal role in launching Tesla Inc and SpaceX, ultimately elevating him to the status of the world's wealthiest individual. 

Also Read: Trump's Niece Says He Deserves To Be Criminally Prosecuted: 'He Remains A Real And Serious Threat To This Country'

Before Musk's attempt to acquire Twitter in 2022, Trump dismissed him as "another BS artist." In return, in a post, Musk described Trump as "one of the world's best bullshitters ever." 

The Republican pollster Frank Luntz said he finds that Musk and Trump often draw support from a similar demographic in focus groups.

“The reaction of people [for both men] is, ‘Well, good for him, I don’t always agree with what he says, I don’t necessarily like how he says it but I like what he’s doing, he is shaking things up,’” Luntz told The Wall Street Journal. 

In the realm of American populism, Trump tapped into anti-establishment sentiments, resonating with those who harbored grievances against elite professionals.

Author Amy Chua, a Yale University law professor, in her book “Political Tribes,” suggested that Trump’s populist success came by tapping into supporters who were anti-establishment.

“Trump’s base identifies with him at gut level: with the way he talks (locker room), dresses, shoots from the hip, gets caught making mistakes, and gets attacked over and over by the liberal media for not being politically correct, for not being feminist enough,” Chua wrote in her book.

Similarly, to Musk's followers, his adversaries have become their adversaries, making him an emblem of resistance and boundary-pushing, the Wall Street Journal reported. 

Now Read: Concerns Mount As Elon Musk's Illegal Drug Use Sparks Alarm At Tesla And SpaceX: WSJ

This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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