Billionaire Elon Musk spoke at a Republican retreat hosted by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in Wyoming on Tuesday.
The event came on the same day that Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the former No. 3 House Republican, lost a primary challenge to Harriet Hageman, who was supported by former President Trump and McCarthy.
A source familiar with the retreat confirmed Musk’s attendance at the event, which included Republican candidates and supporters.
Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-Texas) posted a photo of himself and Musk shaking hands on Tuesday, with the caption: “We should be actively inspiring great things.”
Morgan Ortagus, a commentator and former spokesperson for the Department of State, also posted a photo with Musk on Tuesday, tagging Jackson Hole, Wyo., on Instagram.
According to Fox News, McCarthy and Musk led a closed-press “fireside chat” with supporters.
Musk has donated to both Republicans and Democrats in the past and has donated to McCarthy’s campaign dating back to 2011, according to Federal Election Commission data.
But the billionaire has said that until this year he had only voted for Democrats. The first Republican he voted for was Rep. Mayra Flores (R-Texas) in a special election in June.
Musk signaled in a tweet Tuesday that he is not supportive of the far-right faction of the party.
“To be clear, I support the left half of the Republican Party and the right half of the Democratic Party!” Musk said.
Musk has also said that it is time for Trump to “hang up his hat & sail into the sunset” but that he is “undecided” about who to support in 2024.
In his attempt to purchase Twitter, Musk has found common ground with Republicans, raising concerns about alleged political bias on social media platforms.
Musk has also agreed with Republicans’ assertions that Democrats created an “elaborate hoax about Trump and Russia.”
McCarthy previously praised Musk in comments to The Hill just after it was announced that he joined the board of Twitter in April.
“Elon believes in freedom. Elon is an entrepreneur. Such an American success story,” McCarthy said at the time.
