Elon Musk loves Texas’ right-wing "social policies" at least that’s what Greg Abbott says – Salon

Elon Musk is leaning into the hardline right-wing policies of his new home state or at least that's what Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) says.

On the same day thata controversial near-total abortion ban took effect in the state, Abbott drew on support from Musk for Texas' "social policies" to make the point that he did not expect a backlash from the business community over the law.

"We continue to see a massive influx of these employers coming to the state of Texas becausecandidlynot only do they like the business environment . . . You need to understand thatthere are a lot of businesses and a lot of Americans who like the social positions that the state of Texas is taking," Abbott said during a Thursday interview with CNBC.

"Elon Muskwho I talk to frequentlyhe had to get out of California in part because of the social policies in California," Abbott continued. "Elon consistently tells me he likes the social policies in the state of Texas."

Rather than disagree, the Tesla CEO responded on Twitter by simply saying, "I would prefer to stay out of politics."

"In general, I believe government should rarely impose its will upon the people, and, when doing so, should aspire to maximize their cumulative happiness," Musk added.

Despite Musk's statement, the high-profile businessmanhasn't exactly been silent on issues of politics as of late.

Tesla sued California's Alameda County in May of last year after it enacted a shelter-in-place rule that was intendedto combat rising COVID-19 caseloads and stave off the total collapse of an already strained healthcare system.

Musk later cited the incident as the "last straw," which ultimately forced him to moveout of the Golden State.

On the foreign policy front, Musk made sure to tweet"we will coup whoever we want" after a left-wing party took power in Bolivia last October. Hiscomments sparked fierce backlash online.

The controversial CEO has largely stayed mum on the issue of taxes, though his move to Texas could potentially save him billionsbecause the state has neithercapital gains nor income taxes.

Not that it would matter much, apparently. A bombshell expose released by ProPublica earlier this year revealedthat Musk paid less than $70,000 in federal income taxes between2015-2017and exactly $0 in 2018 putting him at an astronomically lower tax rate than the average American, regardless of income level.

Musk accomplishes this through anarrangement in which heforegoeshis salary as Tesla CEO andlives off loans taken out against his massive equity in the company.

He also appears to beembracing the "social policies" of his new home statejust as Tesla attempts to corner the market on electric trucks.

Pickups are the No. 1 bestselling vehicle type in America, and Tesla's brand-new cybertruck has the potential to be a huge moneymaker for the company if it can capture even a small chunk of the market for truck buyers. It's no coincidence that Musk is embracing Texas, either, given that more than oneout of every six pickups sold in the U.S. is bought there.

It appears that Musk's canny marketingfor the vehicles mightbe working, too. Reports suggest that Tesla has received more than 1 million preorders for its cybertruck.

Productionwas originally slated to start this year, though it was ultimately pushed back to 2022 last month.

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Elon Musk loves Texas' right-wing "social policies" at least that's what Greg Abbott says - Salon