On December 7, 2024, in Pennsylvania, United States, Senator John Fetterman praised billionaire and tech mogul Elon Musk and his career. Musk, who usually holds different political views as a Democrat, was appreciated by Fetterman.
In an interview on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Fetterman told reporters, “I admire Mr. Musk. He has been involved in very important parts of American society: artificial intelligence, space exploration technology with SpaceX, and other fields.”
“Yes, he’s on a different team, but that doesn’t make me his enemy,” he continued. “I’m not automatically a critic. It’s like, hey, he’s done it — you know, he’s made our economy and country better. Our political positions are different. I don’t agree with some things he might say, but that doesn’t make him the kind of enemy I would describe.”
Fetterman made these comments after President Trump appointed Musk and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to co-lead the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The Democratic senator had previously stated that Trump’s victory in Pennsylvania’s presidential election was partially due to the “Elon Musk factor.” During the campaign, Musk made substantial efforts to support Trump in Pennsylvania, a battleground state widely seen as crucial to winning the presidential election.
On Thursday night, Musk responded to Fetterman’s comments on his social media platform X, which he owns.
“It’s hard not to like Senator Fetterman from Pennsylvania,” he wrote. “He puts the nation above party.”