Elon Musk is going to bat for Trump, calling his guilty verdict on 34 counts a 'trivial matter'
- Elon Musk defended Donald Trump on X after Trump's felony conviction in Manhattan.
- "Indeed, great damage was done today to the public's faith in the American legal system," Musk wrote on X.
Elon Musk took to X to defend former President Donald Trump hours after the latter was convicted in Manhattan.
"Indeed, great damage was done today to the public's faith in the American legal system," the Tesla chief wrote in a post on X.
"If a former President can be criminally convicted over such a trivial matter — motivated by politics, rather than justice — then anyone is at risk of a similar fate," Musk added.
Musk's comments came after a Manhattan jury convicted Trump of 34 counts of falsifying business records in his hush-money trial on Thursday. This verdict means Trump is officially a felon and will now face sentencing on July 11.
Earlier on Thursday night, Musk also commented on a post written by Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, a one-time political protégé of Trump's.
In that post, DeSantis claimed the legal process had been weaponized to prevent Trump from clinching a second term — an argument big voices in the MAGA base have often trotted out.
"I think any objective person would have to agree with @GovRonDeSantis here," wrote Bill Ackman.
"Troubling indeed. The American people as a whole should decide who is president," Musk wrote in response to Ackman and DeSantis.
Musk is embroiled in his fair share of litigation. He got very mad after one court ruling in particular, where a Delaware judge struck down his $55 billion Tesla compensation package, ruling that the process leading to the approval of the compensation plan was "deeply flawed."
"Never incorporate your company in the state of Delaware," Musk wrote on X after the verdict.
As for Musk's political endorsements, he has said he is unlikely to vote for President Joe Biden. Musk has not yet endorsed Trump, despite reports from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times about a private breakfast meeting they had in March at investor Nelson Peltz's estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
The Wall Street Journal also reported earlier in May that Trump is considering giving Musk an advisory role in the White House.
Musk, for his part, says there haven't been any discussions of a job for him in a potential Trump administration.
Musk and a representative for Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.