Elon Musk won’t address Texas abortion law
Elon Musk says he 'would prefer to stay out of politics'
Where are Elon Musk, Tesla at White House EV announcement?
Wall Street Journal reporter Tim Higgins explains why Tesla is missing in action at the president's address.
Elon Musk took a hard pass Thursday when presented with the opportunity to weigh in on Texas' abortion law after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott dropped the billionaire's name while defending his state's so-called "heartbeat bill."
Late the night before, the Supreme Court determined in a 5-4 ruling that Texas' abortion law could remain in force by denying an emergency appeal to the legislation that went into effect Wednesday. The law bans the abortion of any fetus with a heartbeat, which is typically detectable at around six weeks, and is the strictest in the nation.
In an interview with CNBC's "Squawk on the Street," host Morgan Brennan asked Abbott whether he was concerned that businesses might pull their investments from Texas over the abortion restrictions and other conservative social policies. Abbott pointed out that businesses and individuals have actually been flocking to Texas because they are fleeing the regulations and liberal policies in other states.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSLA | TESLA INC. | 170.18 | +8.05 | +4.97% |
Then, he used Musk as an example.
ON TEXAS ABORTION RULING, JOHN ROBERTS AGAIN SPLITS WITH CONSERVATIVE JUSTICES
"Elon had to get out of California because, in part, of the social policies in the state of California," Abbott told the host after saying he and Musk speak to each other "frequently." The governor added, "Elon consistently tells me that he likes the social policies in the state of Texas."
In reaction to another CNBC reporter sharing a clip of Abbott's comments, Musk tweeted, "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."
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Musk, who founded SpaceX and is the CEO of Tesla, famously moved from California to Texas last year, citing frustrations with the liberal state's policies and business environment.