Elon Musk Tells Texas Governor He Prefers to Stay Out of Politics
Elon Musk Tells Gov. Abbott He Prefers to Stay Out of Politics
(Bloomberg) -- Texas Governor Greg Abbott, defending new legislation on elections and abortion, pointed to billionaire Elon Musk as a business leader who likes the state’s “social policies.”
Musk replied with a less-than-ringing endorsement.
“In general, I believe government should rarely impose its will upon the people, and, when doing so, should aspire to maximize their cumulative happiness,” the billionaire tweeted Thursday after Abbott’s remarks hours earlier on CNBC. “That said, I would prefer to stay out of politics.”
Abbott claimed Musk’s support in arguing that the movement of companies and people to Texas won’t slow down after the state implemented the nation’s most restrictive abortion law and approved new limits on voting access. In fact, the governor said, the shift to Texas will speed up as some people leave “the very liberal state of California” partly because of its policies.
“Elon had to get out of California because, in part, of the social policies in California,” Abbott said, adding that he “frequently” talks to the chief executive officer of Tesla Inc. “Elon consistently tells me that he likes the social policies in the state of Texas.”
Tesla is building a new factory in Austin, Texas, to make its Cybertruck pickup. Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is expanding its launch facilities near the Mexican border to test its futuristic Starship rocket. SpaceX also tests rocket engines in McGregor, which is located between Dallas and Austin.
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