Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign accused Elon Musk of "trying to control democracy" through his interview Monday evening with Republican nominee Donald Trump, even though Harris has yet to sit down for any interviews or press conferences as the Democratic nominee.
"Musk is using his vast fortune and broad reach to try to control our democracy," Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, wrote in a campaign email Monday evening, referring to Musk’s two-hour phone interview with Trump on X that drew millions of viewers. Harris and Walz called the Tesla and SpaceX CEO "a lackey for Team MAGA."
Harris’s comments come amid growing scrutiny over her repeated refusal to give a sit-down interview or hold a press conference since she became her party’s nominee. Musk, who described himself Monday as a "moderate Democrat" endorsing Trump, said in an X post following the interview he would be "happy to host Kamala on an X Spaces too." The Harris campaign has not responded to the invitation.
Time magazine on Monday published a glowing cover story featuring Harris but admitted that "Harris has yet to do a single substantive interview or to explain her policy shifts" and "her campaign denied a request for an interview for this story."
Trump slammed Harris for avoiding media appearances during the Monday interview. "It's pretty sad when you think that somebody that does this for a living can't answer a question or is afraid to do an interview, and in her case, with a very friendly interview. She's got all friendly interviewers," Trump told Musk.
"It’s not enough that Musk has donated millions of dollars to help elect Trump," Harris added in the campaign email. "He’s using his purchased platform—one of the largest social media sites in the world—to spread Trump’s unhinged and hateful agenda to millions of users."
"Historically I was a moderate Democrat," Musk said. "But now I feel like we’re at a critical juncture for the country… For the people out there in the moderate camp, I think you should support Donald Trump for president."