Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently tugged on Elon Musk’s jacket, bringing him into the center of a debate that the entrepreneur would no doubt have preferred to stay away from.
In the United States these days, talk is particularly fierce about a controversial law passed by the state of Texas – and also discussed by the Supreme Court – that significantly weakens abortion rights.
The law has been fiercely contested by the media and progressive Americans.
It is in this scenario that Greg Abbott has decided to bring Elon Musk into play, declaring to the press that he often converses with the Tesla founder and that the latter would have left California precisely to escape the state’s “liberal” laws.
“Elon has told me repeatedly that he likes Texas’ civil rights laws,” the governor added.
Abbott was responding to a reporter, who had asked him if he was not concerned that restrictive abortion laws would lead to an exodus of big business, which is increasingly committed and sensitive to social issues.
Elon Musk responded briefly to the Texas governor’s remarks on Twitter, without discussing the controversial abortion law:
In principle, I believe that government should rarely impose its will on people, and when it does, it should aim to improve people’s overall happiness.
That said, I prefer to stay away from politics.
Tesla will soon open one of its largest factories in the world in Texas. The Gigafactory in Austin will house the production of the new Cybertruck and Model Y.
Also in Texas, in Boca Chica, there is also a major SpaceX launch base.
Elon Musk personally moved to Texas last year. According to CNBC, the move will save him hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes on his income and assets.