Tesla CEO Elon Musk praised Republican Sen. Tim Scott Friday evening, just hours after the South Carolina lawmaker officially filed paperwork to run for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
“Great statement by @votetimscott,” Musk wrote in a tweet, which was accompanied by a clip of Scott’s first political ad of the 2024 campaign.
In the video, Scott said American children are “growing up immersed in a culture where everyone’s a victim” and highlighted the importance of teaching young people “individual responsibility.”
“If you are able-bodied, you work. If you take out a loan, you pay it back. If you commit a violent crime, you go to jail,” Scott said to his supporters in the clip.
Elon Musk, right, took to his own social media platform to praise comments made by Sen. Tim Scott Friday evening, just hours after the South Carolina Republican officially jumped into the race for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. (Win McNamee, Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
Scott joins a number of Republicans who have already declared their intention to seek the Republican nomination next year, including former President Donald Trump. Trump launched his third White House bid in mid-November.
Scott also becomes the second politician from South Carolina — the state that holds the third contest in the Republican presidential nominating calendar — to launch a presidential campaign, following former two-term Gov. Nikki Haley. The former ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration declared her candidacy on Feb. 14.
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this article.