Elon Musk Supporting GOP Presidential Candidate Not Named Trump or DeSantis?

President Donald Trump is widely seen as the frontrunner to secure the GOP nomination for the 2024 presidential election.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who’s expected to officially declare his candidacy in the coming days, is viewed by most analysts as Trump’s only potential challenger.

However, Elon Musk hyped a GOP presidential candidate on Twitter not named Trump or DeSantis.

Musk praised statements made by Senator Tim Scott (R-SC).

“Great statement by @votetimscott!” Musk wrote with Scott’s video.

“Today’s kids are growing up immersed in a culture where everyone’s a victim. We have to start teaching the necessity of individual responsibility. If you are able-bodied, you work. If you take out a loan, you pay it back. If you commit a violent crime, you go to jail,” Scott said in the clip.

The video, which Musk shared Friday evening, has amassed nearly 20 million views at the time of writing.

For reference, Scott’s campaign Twitter profile has roughly 72,000 followers.

WATCH:

Great statement by @votetimscott! pic.twitter.com/zMy19ZQ36d

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 20, 2023

“This is our mission! @elonmusk, we’ll save you a seat on Monday!” Scott replied.

This is our mission!@elonmusk, we’ll save you a seat on Monday! https://t.co/Y2tigfrojK

— Tim Scott (@votetimscott) May 20, 2023

On Friday, Tim Scott filed paperwork with the FEC to officially declare his candidacy for president.

JUST IN: GOP Presidential Candidate Officially Files

Scott is expected to make a formal announcement in South Carolina on Monday.

JUST IN: Republican Senator Tim Scott has filed paperwork with the FEC to run for president.

Scott is expected to make a formal announcement in South Carolina on Monday.

— DailyNoah.com (@DailyNoahNews) May 19, 2023

From The Hill:

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is gearing up to roll out a $6 million ad campaign as the senator is widely expected to formally launch a White House bid next Monday.

A senior Scott official said that the senator will be launching a $5.5 million statewide multi-platform ad campaign that will air on TV, radio, satellite and cable in the early presidential primary states of New Hampshire and Iowa.

A separate seven-figure digital ad buy will also be launched. Both ad campaigns will air until the first GOP debate.

“This campaign is built to win and has the resources and messenger to deliver a Republican nomination and ultimately the White House,” said a senior Scott official.

The ad campaign comes as Scott is anticipated to announce on Monday that he’ll officially be running for president on the Republican side. Scott launched an exploratory committee last month and has been making trips to states like Iowa and his home state of South Carolina, another early presidential primary state.

See y'all on Monday!

RSVP today to join me in North Charleston ➡️ https://t.co/V2s0ASa6WY pic.twitter.com/YVV58dVJfU

— Tim Scott (@votetimscott) May 19, 2023

Tim Scott will join a GOP primary field that includes Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson, Larry Elder, and most likely Ron DeSantis.

The South Carolina senator will have to make up a lot of ground to catch GOP frontrunner Donald Trump.

Newsweek reported:

In addition to well-known figures like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and potential dark horse candidates like North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum who are weighing presidential bids themselves, Scott will have to separate himself from figures like former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and his state's former Governor Nikki Haley, who tapped him from his seat in Congress to fill the void left behind by retiring Republican Senator Jim DeMint in 2012.

And while many observers consider Scott to have the type of upside that could appeal to a broad swath of the Republican Party, polls—at least as they stand now—leave him with a lot of ground to gain.

At this point in the race, Trump still commands a more than 53 percent (and growing) share of the Republican electorate's support in aggregate polling compiled by FiveThirtyEight, with DeSantis the next-closest challenger at a shade under 21 percent. In a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, Trump polls well ahead of Scott, with a survey by the prestigious Harvard/Harris poll released Thursday showing Trump with a 79-21 advantage over Scott in a two-person contest.