Kara Swisher says Musk ‘subtle as a brick’ with Trump support

Tech journalist Kara Swisher said in a Sunday interview that Elon Musk is as “subtle as a brick” in trying to conceal his support for former President Trump’s reelection bid.

In an interview on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki,” Swisher said, “Yes, 100 percent,” when asked whether she thinks Musk, whom she covered for years, supports Trump.

Swisher said she thinks Musk is trying to create “drama” by officially saying he’s politically neutral — including recently vowing not to donate to a 2024 presidential candidate — while publicly giving signals that suggest otherwise.

“He’s doing all kinds of signaling and things like that. And he thinks he’s being subtle,” Swisher said. “I mean, he calls me Karen, which isn’t the best insult you can come up with.”

“So, I don’t think he’s trying very hard, and he does them late at night, and up to who knows what, and so he’s — that’s the way he is,” Swisher continued. “He’s as subtle as a brick.”

Swisher compared Musk’s reluctance to publicly supporting Trump to the former president’s own tactics to generate media attention.

“Because he wants to create drama,” Swisher said when pressed on why Musk doesn’t publicly support Trump.

“Same thing like Trump likes to do. And why are we asking him what his endorsement is? He’s a business person. So he’s made himself into a nonsensical figure that a lot of people do care about. And he has a lot of money,” Swisher said, suggesting his wealth influences the attention he gets.

Musk, who has been embraced by many on the ideological right, has not endorsed any candidate in 2024. After reports surfaced that he met with Trump, as the former president was trying to shore up funds from potential big donors, Musk publicly stated that he had no plans to donate to either party’s president candidate. Musk also said Trump did not ask him for money.

Musk also said he might endorse a candidate before the general election in the fall but that he wanted to “make a considered decision” about whether to endorse and whom to support.

At other points, however, Musk has been more open with his conservative political leanings.

In a Sunday post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Musk said, “ I voted 100% Dem until a few years ago,” adding, “Now, I think we need a red wave or America is toast.”