Tesla CEO Elon Musk praised Republican Sen. Tim Scott Friday evening, just hours after the South Carolina lawmaker officially filed paperwork to run for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
“Great statement from @votetimscott,” Musk wrote in a tweet, which was accompanied by a clip of Scott’s first political announcement of the 2024 campaign.
In the video, Scott said American children “are growing up immersed in a culture where everyone is a victim” and stressed the importance of teaching young people about “individual responsibility.”
“If you’re healthy, you work. If you take out a loan, you pay it back. If he commits a violent crime, you go to jail,” Scott told his followers in the clip.
NO REPUBLICAN TIM SCOTT INTRODUCES PRESIDENT IN 2024
Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to seek the office of president, campaign documents show.
The GOP senator launched a $6 million ad campaign in key presidential primary states on Friday, ahead of a campaign announcement scheduled for May 22.
WITHOUT SCOTT TO SPEND A MASSIVE $6 MILLION ON TV ADS IN IOWA, NEW HAMPSHIRE DURING 2024 REPUBLICAN PRIMARY RACE
Elon Musk, right, took to his own social media platform to praise comments made by Sen. Tim Scott on Friday evening, just hours after the South Carolina Republican officially entered the race for the nomination GOP presidential 2024. (Win McNamee, Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
Scott joins a number of Republicans who have already declared their intention to seek the Republican nomination next year, including former President Donald Trump. Trump launched his third bid for the White House in mid-November.
Scott also becomes the second politician in South Carolina, the state that holds the third contest on the Republican presidential nominating calendar, to launch a presidential campaign, following former two-term governor Nikki Haley. The former ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration declared her candidacy on February 14.
Known for his fundraising prowess, Scott enters the White House race with his campaign coffers well-stocked. Scott reported nearly $22 million in cash late last year — funds left over from the senator’s convincing 25-point re-election victory in November in reliably reliable South Carolina.
Senator Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, speaks during a hearing in Washington, DC on May 7, 2020. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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A pair of Scott-aligned super PACs started 2023 with roughly $16 million in the bank, thanks to contributions from numerous Republican megadonors, including Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.
Paul Steinhauser of Fox News contributed to this article.
