Donald Trump cruised to victory on Tuesday aided by a rising new star in the Republican Party—Elon Musk.
Key to his return to the White House were the concerted efforts of the Tesla CEO and X owner, who helped launch a groundswell of support particularly among young college-age men, constituents who typically would vote Democrat. If their support helps the GOP retain a majority in the House of Representatives, Trump’s party will control both legislative branches, as well as the presidency
In the early hours of Wednesday, Musk supporters chanted the tech tycoon’s name at Trump’s victory speech, prompting the president-elect to single him out for special praise.
“Let me tell you, we have a new star,” said Trump, who is expected to win the popular vote for the first time in his three attempts. “A star is born—Elon. He’s an amazing guy.”
Celebrating their joint triumph, Musk took to X to post a photoshopped image of himself entering the Oval Office with the same prop gag bathroom fixture he used when entering Twitter headquarters in October 2022. “Let that sink in,” he wrote.
Shares in Tesla are expected to surge when markets open as investors bet a Trump administration will shut down federal investigations and enforcement actions on the carmaker, particularly around its self-driving software. At press time, Tesla shares were trading 13% higher pre-market, equivalent to roughly $100 billion in added market value.
Fundamental to Trump’s campaign victory
It’s hard to imagine how the Republicans could have wrested control over the Senate and the White House on Tuesday without the help of Musk. The Tesla CEO risked his own personal brand by backing the twice-impeached Trump, who stood by while rioters stormed the Capitol to overturn the 2020 election.
Musk not only used his social media platform to amplify the campaign’s message and attack its opponent, he also organized Trump’s ground game to get out the vote. He even took a gamble by potentially breaking federal voting laws with a $1-million-dollar-a-day voter sweepstakes.
Many first time and repeat Republican voters thanked Musk on X for acquiring the platform and restoring their voice after some had their posting privileges suspended by content moderators.
‘Electrified’ host Dillon Loomis, a Tesla shareholder and Trump voter, went so far as to suggest that a Delaware chancery court justice appointed by a Biden ally may have indirectly been responsible for Trump’s victory.
“It’s wild to think that Judge Kathaleen McCormick (yes, that one), who forced Elon to close the Twitter acquisition, has unknowingly played such a large role in the outcome of this election,” wrote the Musk fan, adding “Don’t. Bet. Against. Elon.”
Many Republicans forget that Musk originally wanted out of his contractual agreement to acquire Twitter for $44 billion in equity—funded mainly through large divestments of stock carried out on the back of Tesla shareholders.
Had the court not enforced the deal, the platform might never have landed in the lap of the world’s richest man, who installed new corporate policies favoring conservatives.
Musk’s political journey to ‘Dark MAGA’
Official biographer Walter Isaacson pointed to several seminal moments that caused Musk to sour on the Democrats.
These started with his political awakening during the first wave of COVID lockdowns. At the time he refused to comply with orders to shut down his Fremont factory in California’s Alameda County.
A Democrat in the state assembly, fed up with what she called his continued disregard of worker safety, union busting and his bullying public servants then angrily snapped “F*ck Elon Musk”. The Tesla CEO spotted her post and replied icily “message received”.
Later, Musk felt betrayed by the Biden administration that snubbed him from an EV summit and repeatedly refusal to recognize Tesla’s role as the leader in electric vehicles.
Lawmakers like Senator Elizabeth Warren furthermore branded him a “freeloader” and went after his companies, which Musk felt was politically motivated.
Although Musk initially stated in March he would not be donating to either campaign, he reversed his decision following the July attempt on Trump’s life in Butler, Pa. He would later say he had gone “all in” on backing the former president and describe himself as “Dark MAGA“.
“He’s a super genius,” Trump extolled in his victory speech on Wednesday morning. “We have to protect our geniuses. We don’t have that many of them.”
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First appeared on fortune.com