During the recent election, many of America’s wealthiest individuals took to the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to voice their opinions and reactions to the unfolding political events. While some conservative billionaires like Elon Musk and Tyler Winklevoss expressed celebratory sentiments about Donald Trump’s potential victory, liberal billionaires like Reid Hoffman and Mark Cuban focused on themes of democracy and truth versus fiction. The divide between the two sides was evident in their posts, with those mentioning Trump appearing more optimistic in sentiment compared to those mentioning Kamala Harris.
Forbes analyzed posts from the richest 200 American billionaires on X and found that discussions about the election had been viewed over 10 billion times since October 1. Many of the posts mentioned either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, with a slight bias towards optimism in posts mentioning Trump. However, it is worth noting that Elon Musk’s ownership of X may have influenced the platform’s rightward-leaning sentiment, given Musk’s public support for Trump throughout the election.
Despite the contentious nature of the election, some billionaires chose to engage in more than just social media posts. Mark Cuban became a vocal Harris surrogate, while Miriam Adelson and Reid Hoffman penned op-eds endorsing their preferred candidates. Other billionaires, like Jeff Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shiong, used their ownership of newspapers to block endorsements for candidates they did not support. The election also brought about discussions on voter fraud, swing states, and economic issues among the billionaire community.
Interestingly, some billionaires opted to stay silent on X and instead voiced their opinions on alternative platforms like Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook-owned Threads. Others, like Donald Trump, focused their online presence on platforms like Truth Social. However, regardless of where they chose to express themselves, the billionaire community’s influence on social media and politics remains significant. As the results of the election unfolded, billionaires continued to share their reactions and opinions, reflecting the diverse viewpoints within their ranks.
