Musk Says Trump Has a ‘Clear Mandate.’ Here’s What Business Leaders Said Today

Business leaders from across the political spectrum took to the internet Wednesday to congratulate former President Donald Trump on his re-election. 

Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk, who became one of the former President’s most prominent backers this year, said on X Wednesday morning that the election results had given Donald Trump “a crystal clear mandate for change.”

Trump has said he plans to appoint Musk to lead a government efficiency commission tasked with streamlining government operations and rolling back regulations. 

Musk’s involvement with the Trump campaign concerned many election watchers in light of his ownership of the social media platform X. Musk boasted of the platform’s influence on Wednesday, telling his more than 200 million followers, “You are the media now.”

Other prominent business figures struck a softer tone. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase (JPM), on Tuesday evening before polls closed urged Americans to “find common ground” and “unite behind our President elect.” Dimon has not made a statement since the election was called for Trump, but reports have indicated he does not intend to take a position in Trump’s administration.

Mark Cuban, star of ABC’s Shark Tank and an outspoken supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s opponent, posted to X: “Congrats @realDonaldTrump. You won fair and square. Congrats to @elonmusk as well. #Godspeed.”

The leaders of America’s largest tech companies also congratulated Trump on X. “Congratulations President Trump on your Victory! We look forward to engaging with you and your administration to help make sure the United States continues to lead with and be fueled by ingenuity, innovation, and creativity,” wrote Apple (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook.

Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Satya Nadella and Alphabet (GOOG; GOOGL) chief Sundar Pichai made similar statements. Amazon.com (AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos, owner of the Washington Post and other business, on X said that “No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing @realDonaldTrump all success in leading and uniting the America we all love.”

Sam Altman, the CEO of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, followed up well wishes to Trump with the statement that“it is critically important that the US maintains its lead in developing AI with democratic values.”