'Trump Likes You': Indian-American Billionaire and Elon Musk Clash on X Over Next US President

New Delhi: Indian-American billionaire Vinod Khosla and Tesla CEO Elon Musk clashed over their differing views on Donald Trump's presidential candidacy after U.S. President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.

Khosla, an OpenAI investor and Democratic donor, called for an "open convention" to select a more moderate candidate, suggesting Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as alternatives to Harris. He said America needed a president who neither swings to the far right nor is too woke.

"Time to have an open convention and get a more moderate candidate who can easily beat @realDonaldTrump. @GovWhitmer and @GovernorShapiro would be a great thing for America not held hostage between MAGA extremists and DEI extremism. Unique opportunity for a better moderate path. Every socially liberal, climate and fiscal voter should want it to balance our approach," Khosla tweeted.

Musk, who recently endorsed Trump, responded by urging Khosla to support Trump and his running mate, JD Vance. "Come on, Vinod. Trump/Vance LFG!!" he tweeted.

Khosla strongly rejected Musk's suggestion, citing Trump's personal values and policies as reasons for his opposition. "Hard for me to support someone with no values, lies, cheats, rapes, demeans women, hates immigrants like me," he replied. "He may cut my taxes or reduce some regulation but that is no reason to accept depravity in his personal values. Do you want President who will set back climate by a decade in his first year? Do you want his example for your kids as values?" Khosla said.

Musk countered by saying that Trump does not hate Khosla and that his administration would promote meritocracy and individual freedoms.

"He doesn’t hate you. In fact, I think he likes you. Meet him and find out for yourself. How many times have you read something in the media where you know the real story, but what they printed was diabolically false? Well, it’s way worse in politics, which is a blood sport," the X boss said. Acknowledging that Trump is not "without flaws," Musk asserted that America needs "an administration that is more likely to be meritocratic and promote individual freedoms over the heavy hand of government. Many years ago, that was the Democratic Party, but now the pendulum has swung to the Republican Party."

Khosla responded by agreeing on the importance of meritocracy and individual freedoms but expressed concerns about Trump's stance on climate change and his potential impact on American leadership and moral authority.

"Agree on not trusting media. Agree on meritocratic and promote individual freedoms. But abandon climate and 'drill baby drill'? Be MAGA and abandon NATO and American leadership and moral authority? I was a socially liberal registered fiscal Republican till climate made me switch to Independent (sic)," he said.

In another tweet, Khosla asked Musk if he would be "willing [to] forgive him for trying to subvert democracy on Jan 6 and push for insurrection just to win?" Musk did not reply to that post.

A storied venture capitalist and co-founder of Sun Microsystems, Vinod Khosla hosted a fundraiser for Biden in May and previously endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016. He has steered clear of endorsing Kamala Harris, instead calling for an "open convention" and "ranked choice voting" to determine the "will of the people."