Stephen Colbert thinks Tesla CEO Elon Musk should run for president
Alex Wong/Getty ImagesDuring a commercial break on his new show, Stephen Colbert told his studio audience that he thinks Tesla CEO Elon Musk should run for president, CNN Money reports.
Musk, who heads up both Tesla and private space company SpaceX, is legendary for visualizing the future and then working tirelessly to make it happen. And Musk's particular vision of the future, which apparently includes dropping nuclear bombs on Mars to make it more habitable, "truly moved" Colbert, according to CNN Money.
But if that future includes a Musk run at the presidency of the United States, Musk has a lot of work still to do to change the rules. Currently only native-born U.S. citizens - or those born outside the country but to U.S. citizen parents - can serve as president. Musk was born in South Africa and only became an American citizen in 2002.
And what would his policy goals be?
It's probably safe to say continuing government subsidies for Tesla would likely be on the list. He recently called our continued burning of fossil fuels, "the dumbest experiment in history," and said that finding a sustainable way to produce and consume energy is the number one problem facing humanity.
But let's not forget one of Musk's other main preoccupations: the potential destruction of humanity by artificial intelligence. He's pledged $10 million toward research to make sure AI doesn't turn out evil.
As to who his vice president should be, Colbert's fans had a suggestion. When Colbert expressed his support for a Musk presidency, the studio audience yelled back, "you should be V.P." According to CNN Money, Colbert just shook his head and smiled at them.