Twitter and Tesla CEO Elon Musk made a surprise visit to the U.S. Capitol on Thursday to meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Musk said he met with the two House leaders to discuss ways in ensuring that Twitter is fair to both sides of the political aisle after taking over as the social media company’s CEO in October.
“Just met with @SpeakerMcCarthy & @RepJeffries to discuss ensuring that this platform is fair to both parties,” he tweeted.
Just met with @SpeakerMcCarthy & @RepJeffries to discuss ensuring that this platform is fair to both parties
— Mr. Tweet (@elonmusk) January 26, 2023
McCarthy exited the meeting with Musk and declined to discuss what the meeting entailed. He told the reporters that the tech mogul wished the Speaker a happy birthday.
“He came to wish me a happy birthday,” he told reporters, who turned 58 Thursday.
Leaving a meeting with Elon Musk, Speaker McCarthy won’t elaborate on what the two discussed, besides saying they’ve “been friends for years,” and that Musk came to wish him a happy birthday. pic.twitter.com/OhzjVlO6sr
— Nathaniel Reed (@ReedReports) January 26, 2023
McCarthy said he did not discuss the debt ceiling that recently exceeded $31.4 trillion, and ignored all other questions related to the matter, Bloomberg reported. The press did not witness Musk leave the meeting or the building after their appointment together on the second floor ended. (RELATED: Elon Musk Huddled With GOP Leaders And Donors. Here’s What He Told Them)
Musk is a longtime donor of McCarthy and expressed support for him stepping up as speaker during the tumultuous, days-long speaker vote among members of the House. The California Republican finally became speaker after 15 ballots.
Kevin McCarthy should be Speaker
— Mr. Tweet (@elonmusk) January 5, 2023
The tech mogul has become a popular figure among the political right since urging people to vote Republican and voting for candidates of the party for the first time in the special election held in Texas’ 34th district. He publicly shared that he cast his ballot for Republican Texas Rep. Mayra Flores.
He further became a vocal proponent for free speech amid his $44 billion purchase and eventual takeover of Twitter. He later reinstated the account of former President Donald Trump following a public poll calling for his return.