Musk and Latin America, a story of ideological affinity and business

This Elon Musk interested in Latin America? The billionaire uses his social network X to share the creed of the right in a region whose natural resources could make him even richer.

In recent years his ideas coincide with those of conservatives and he expresses them without filters, although he tries not to be pigeonholed politically.

“Venezuela has great wealth in natural resources. If Chávez had not destroyed the economy by increasing the role of the government to extreme socialism, the country would be very prosperous”, he wrote this Thursday in X.

The opposition leader María Corina Machado, main rival of President Nicolás Maduro but disqualified as a candidate, reacted on the same network saying that Venezuelans fight “for freedom and democracy.”

“Venezuela’s vast natural resource wealth will be harnessed to rebuild the nation into a prosperous country with a modern market economy and rule of law, open to global investment in all sectors, once we overcome the Maduro dictatorship.”he added.

In February, the founder or main investor of the electric car manufacturer Tesla, Space .

“You are right“, stated the businessman about a fragment in which Bukele warned of the danger of crime and drug trafficking in the United States.

But beyond his ideological affinities, Musk is a pragmatic man, an entrepreneur with a great nose for business.

“We need to talk”

“Prosperity is about to reach Argentina”, wrote the second richest man in the world when the ultra-liberal Javier Milei won the elections.

“We need to talk Elon”Milei responded in X.

In an interview broadcast this Friday by Bloomberg, Milei stated that he will “soon” meet with Musk, who will be ““an active player who will have a leading role in the new Argentina.” “Starlink is entering Argentina now”he added.

The tycoon wants to conquer the Latin American market with his internet satellite provider company that improves connectivity and is achieving it in countries like Chile or Brazil. In Mexico he has closed several contracts with Starlink and will build a new Tesla factory.

Argentina can be a goldmine for its electric vehicles because it is part of the so-called “Lithium Triangle”, along with Bolivia and Chile. And white gold is an essential mineral for the production of batteries.

This South African businessman lived as a migrant until he became an American citizen in 2002, but his reality has nothing to do with the hardships of millions of Latin Americans who emigrate to the United States to escape violence, corruption or poverty.

However, migration is one of his recurring themes in X, where he defends himself against those who call him anti-immigrant.

Last September during a visit to the border with Mexico, accompanied by Republican Congressman Tony Gonzáles, Musk declared himself in favor of migration for people “hardworking and honest” and criticized those who “they violate the law” .

This week he stated that robberies committed by Chilean gangs entering the United States thanks to the Visa Waiver Program will worsen “unless measures are taken.”

A few months before the US presidential elections, which will be contested by Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump, it is unknown if the millionaire will ask to vote for any of them.

A month ago he announced that he will not make direct donations to his campaigns, but it is impossible to anticipate what this unpredictable man who has come to put his own companies in trouble will do.