Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz blasted billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday for his relationship with former President Trump, mocking his appearance at a recent Trump rally and warning of Musk’s role in government if Trump wins another White House term.
“I’m going to talk about his running mate — his running mate, Elon Musk,” the Minnesota governor told supporters at a rally in Wisconsin alongside former President Obama, implying Musk is usurping Trump’s actual running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio).
“Look, Elon’s on that stage, jumping around, skipping like a dips‑‑‑ on these things,” he continued, drawing laughter and cheers from the crowd as he referenced Musk’s appearance where he leapt into the air onstage at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pa., earlier this month.
“That guy is literally the richest man in the world. Spending millions of dollars to help Donald Trump buy an election,” Walz continued. “Now — look, they’re saying the quiet parts out loud now. Because Donald Trump has already promised that he would put Elon in charge of government regulations that oversee the businesses that Elon runs. … So in other words, DT in front of the eyes of the American public is promising corruption.”
Walz’s comments mark some of the most direct criticism aimed at Musk from the Harris campaign to date.
Musk has endorsed Trump for the White House and has personally contributed at least $75 million to his pro-Trump America PAC since July as he pushes for the former president to return to the White House, according to campaign finance records filed earlier this month.
Musk has acted as a pro-Trump megaphone on the social platform X, which he owns, and America PAC has played a key role in the Trump campaign’s ground game in swing states.
The businessman has drawn scrutiny in recent days after he pledged to give away $1 million each day to voters who registered to cast a ballot in battleground states.
Trump has signaled he would give Musk a role in a future administration overseeing government waste and spending.
But that has also attracted criticism from ethics experts and watchdogs who noted that Musk’s companies like SpaceX and Tesla benefit from billions of dollars in government contracts.