Elon Musk reaffirmed over the weekend his view on an upper ceiling on age for those running for office. He was commenting on a video interview of him shared by a social media influencer, in which Musk talked about the problems with gerontocracy.
He noted that leaders of many countries are extremely old. "In the U.S., it is very, very ancient leadership," he said, adding that it might not be possible to stay in touch with the people if a leader is many generations older than them.
When asked what is the optimal upper age ceiling for those in office, Musk said it should be ideally within 10 or 20 years of the average age of the population.
It may be recalled that Musk once hit back against former President Donald Trump after the latter turned the heat on the Tesla CEO in a rally in July 2022.
Quote tweeting a video of Trump's speech, wherein he called Musk a bulls**t artist — the world's richest person said it's time for the former president to hang up his hat and "sail into the sunset."
At the same time, Musk said that he doesn't hate Trump. When probed further on this by a Twitter follower, Musk rationalized that Trump would be 82 at the end of the term if he is elected as president in the 2024 polls. The age, according to Musk, would be too old to lead the United States.
Related Link: Elon Musk Votes Republican For 1st Time — Prefers This Candidate To Be Next US President
The Tesla CEO also reiterated his belief that the legal maximum age for the start of a presidential term should be 69.
Musk also concurred with a comment by one of his followers that there is a serious issue with gerontocracy, wherein leaders of many countries are "extremely old" and that it is impossible to stay in touch with people if they are many generations older than them. He responded with a 100 emoji that is used to relay support, approval or motivation.
Musk also disagreed with a comment that said he had told Trump he had voted for the GOP leader in a previous presidential election.
Warning To Democrats: Musk also had a stern piece of advice for the Democrats, asking tem to call off the attack on Trump. "Don’t make it so that Trump’s only way to survive is to regain the Presidency," he warned.
Why It's Important: Musk's views assume importance as Trump surges ahead in opinion polls as the most preferred candidate for getting GOP nomination. A rally attended by the former president in Waco, Texas, late Saturday showed strong support for him, with thousands gathering to pledge support for him.
Photo: Tesla Owners Club Belgium and Gage Skidmore on Flickr
Some elements of this story were previously reported by Benzinga and it has been updated.
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