 "US Senator Cory Booker delivers a marathon speech protesting the policies of US President Donald Trump on the US Senate floor. File Image / Reuters")
Democratic Senator from New Jersey, Cory Booker , rejected the idea of taking campaign donations from Tesla CEO Elon Musk amid the latter’s public spat with US President Donald Trump. As the feud between the former friends intensified, Trump on Saturday said Musk would face “serious consequences” if he moves to support Democratic political candidates in any upcoming elections.
While commenting on Trump’s latest threat to Musk, Booker dismissed the idea and made it clear that he would not be taking any Musk cash. “I would not accept money from Elon Musk for my campaign,” Booker told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday. However, he took Musk’s side in criticising Trump’s controversial “ Big Beautiful Bill ”.
Referring to the Republican budget bill that Musk has slammed, Booker said: “I would be supportive of anybody, including Elon Musk, putting resources forward right now to let more Americans know, sound the alarm, treat this like a Paul Revere moment.”
“More Americans have to understand that if this bill passes, average Americans are going to see their costs skyrocket as this president again pushes legislation that is indicative of his chaos, corruption and cruelty towards Americans,” he added.
Democrats see a glimmer of hope
The remarks from Booker came at a time when Democrats are finding ways to turn the dramatic fallout between Musk and Trump into an opportunity. Musk, who supported Democrats until 2022, turned his back on the party after he contributed $270 million to Trump’s re-election campaign in 2024, providing crucial help in the Republican’s eventual victory.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Musk shared a post on X in which he wrote: “In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people,” clearly referring to any politician who supported Trump’s budget bill. Last week, Ro Khanna, a Democratic congressman, reportedly talked with one of Musk’s “senior confidants” about whether the billionaire might now want to help the Democrats in the midterm elections next year.
“Having Elon speak out against the irrational tariff policy, against the deficit-expanding Trump bill, and the anti-science and anti-immigrant agenda can help check Trump’s unconstitutional administration,” Khanna told Semafor after the meeting. “I look forward to Elon turning his fire against MAGA Republicans instead of Democrats in 2026,” he added.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIt is pertinent to note that Khanna was the one who argued that his party was unwise to alienate Musk when the Democrats witnessed a disaster in 2024.
Not all Democrats want Musk’s help
On the other side of the spectrum are Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who have publicly said that Musk is what voters should be against: powerful, wealthy billionaires seeking influence through politics.
While speaking to CNN on Sunday, Sanders said that Musk had “evolved” into an extremist since he voted for Obama in 2008. “Over the years, he has developed into a right-wing extremist. The issue and drama over what happened last week is that we are living, increasingly, in an oligarchic society. Musk said: ‘Hey, listen, I spent $270 million to get you elected. I bought you the presidency …”
“This is a fight between oligarchs. It’s a fight about power among the few, and it’s really an embarrassment for those of us who believe in democracy and the rule of law,” the Vermont senator added. Last month, Musk said that he planned to spend “a lot less” on political campaigns as he scaled back and ultimately exited his time in government.