Elon Musk tweeted that he prefers "to stay out of politics" after GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the SpaceX founder supported the Lonestar State's "social policies."
Abbott appeared on CNBC Thursday and discussed Texas' new abortion ban. He insisted that companies would not leave the state over the new law.
"Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tells @SquawkStreet that he 'frequently' talks to Elon Musk, who 'had to get out of California because, in part, of the social policies in California. Elon consistently tells me that he likes the social policies in the state of Texas,'" CNBC space reporter Michael Sheetz tweeted Thursday morning.
Musk replied to Sheetz’s post.
"In general, I believe government should rarely impose its will upon the people, and, when doing so, should aspire to maximize their cumulative happiness. That said, I would prefer to stay out of politics," Musk tweeted.
On Wednesday, a Texas ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy took effect. The law gives private citizens the power to enforce it by enabling them to sue abortion providers and anyone who "aids or abets" an abortion after six weeks.
The Supreme Court later that day voted 5-4 and refused to block the Texas law, which President Joe Biden said "blatantly violates Roe v. Wade."
Abbott told CNBC that the law will not drive business away from Texas, The Daily Mail reported.
"You need to understand that there's a lot of businesses and a lot of Americans who like the social positions that the state of Texas is taking," Abbott told CNBC.
"This is not slowing down businesses coming to the state of Texas at all. In fact, it is accelerating the process of businesses coming to Texas."
The Daily Mail said Musk appeared to contradict Abbott's claim that he likes Texas' social positions by donating to three anti-abortion Republican lawmakers and four Democrat lawmakers who support abortion rights. He gave each $2,800 in 2020, according to OpenSecrets.org.
Musk's move from California is expected to save him billions of dollars in taxes as Texas has no personal income tax. The Golden State has the country's highest personal income taxes.
Republican-led states that have passed increasingly tough abortion restrictions only to see them blocked by the federal courts have a new template in the unusually written Texas law.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this story.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.