Trump critic Mark Cuban congratulates Trump – as Elon Musk brags before the AP calls the winner

On By Littum

Upper line

Billionaire critic Mark Cuban congratulated Donald Trump, while pro-Trump Tesla CEO Elon Musk bragged about the former president as he took the lead in every swing state Tuesday night — even though the election has yet to be called for Trump by the Associated Press.

Key facts

Musk tweeted “game, set and match” Tuesday night and later tweeted a photo of himself talking with Trump at an election night party.

The billionaire also wrote, “America is a nation of builders,” and “Soon you’ll be free to build” — followed by several other pro-Trump tweets.

Fellow tech billionaire Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus VR, said “GG,” an acronym for good game, in a similar postto which Musk replied “yup.”

Trump won North Carolina and Georgia’s electoral votes not long after the billionaire bragging, the Associated Press predicts, significantly increasing Trump’s odds of victory — though a group of critical swing states has yet to be called by the AP.

Cuban, a Harris supporter and critic of Musk and Trump, congratulations the Republican presidential candidate, saying “you won fair and square,” and also congratulated Musk.

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What to look for

Trump’s victories in North Carolina and Georgia increased his odds of winning, making an electoral victory almost certain if he wins Pennsylvania. Trump leads in all the other swing states, including Pennsylvania, although some have outstanding ballots. Better at Polymarket is pricing a 99% chance of a Trump victory.

Key background

Musk threw his support — and his money — behind Trump this summer after the Republican presidential candidate was hit by an assassination attempt. Since then, Musk has become one of Trump’s most outspoken supporters, speaking at his rallies and bashing the former president at numerous town halls in the swing state of Pennsylvania. Musk provided his own Trump-supporting super PAC, America PAC, with more than $118 million in the run-up to the election. His super PAC also gave away several $1 million checks to random swing state voters who signed a petition on America PAC’s website. The $1 million prizes were challenged in court by Philadelphia’s district attorney, although a city judge declined to issue an injunction blocking the giveaways.

Forbes valuation

We estimate Musk’s net worth at $264.7 billion, making him the world’s richest person. Luckey is worth $2.4 billion and Cuban is worth $5.7 billion.

Further reading

Election Day 2024: Here’s Trump’s Clearest Path to Victory – After Winning North Carolina (Updated) (Forbes)

Here’s When to Expect the Trump-Harris Election Results in the 7 Key Swing States (Forbes)