X owner Elon Musk took the opportunity during a recent interview with Tucker Carlson to reaffirm his support for vaccines, while expressing concerns about vaccine mandates and safety standards.
“I’m not anti-vaccine in general,” the social network CEO said. “I think we want to exercise caution with the use of vaccines, but in the absence of vaccines, there’ll be a lot more people that have died.”
He cited vaccines for diseases like polio and smallpox as examples of their life-saving benefits. But he was quick to emphasize that vaccines should not be immune from questioning.
“That doesn’t mean that vaccines should not have any scrutiny,” Mr. Musk said. “We should be making sure that the quality control of vaccines is incredibly good, since we’re giving them to children.”
And on the issue of vaccine mandates, he was clear: “We shouldn’t force people to take vaccines.”
Mr. Musk’s relationship with COVID-19 vaccines has evolved over time. Initially, in 2020, the billionaire tech mogul insisted he wouldn’t take the vaccine. However, by 2021, his tune had changed.
“To be clear, I do support vaccines in general & covid vaccines specifically. The science is unequivocal,” he posted.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO shared that he and his children received the vaccine, but later revealed that a third dose almost put him in the hospital. His skepticism of boosters and mandates remains.
In the same wide-ranging conversation with Mr. Carlson on X, Mr. Musk also touched on his political views, offering full-throated support for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and a critical outlook on the Democratic Party. He speculated that if Democrats continue to hold power, they would leverage immigration to create an electoral stronghold.
“My prediction is, if there’s another four years of a Dem administration, they will legalize so many illegals that the next election there won’t be any swing states, and this will be a single-party country,” Mr. Musk said.
Mr. Musk portrayed Mr. Trump as the defender of democracy, contrasting him with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Mr. Musk also hinted at potential personal consequences if Mr. Trump were to lose.
“In the hopefully unlikely event that he loses, there may be some vengeance on me,” he told Mr. Carlson in the interview, which was posted Monday.
Mr. Musk’s political engagement extends beyond interviews. He recently appeared at a rally for Mr. Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, encouraging attendees to register to vote.
• Emma Ayers can be reached at eayers@washingtontimes.com.