Tim Scott, Senate's Lone Black Republican, Gets Elon Musk's Attention In Presidential Bid

Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina announced his 2024 presidential bid on Monday in front of hundreds of supporters, garnering the attention of Twitter owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

"We live in the land where it is absolutely possible for a kid raised in poverty – in a single-parent household, in a small apartment – to one day serve in the People's House and maybe even the White House," he said, according to Semafor.

Scott--the only Black Republican who has made it to the Senate--spoke before hundreds of his supporters and volunteers at the Charleston Southern University in South Carolina on Monday, telling the audience of his rags-to-riches story that brought him to Washington.

The overall message that Scott gave in his presidential bid announcement was that of choosing between "grievance or greatness" and "victimhood or victory."

Ahead of his official announcement, SpaceX's Musk had shared a video of Scott talking about teaching the next generation "the necessity of individual responsibility." The tech mogul said Scott's remarks were "great."

Musk also retweeted the live broadcast of Scott's 2024 announcement Monday. While Musk did not say whether he would financially back Scott's campaign, another billionaire is reportedly preparing to do so.

Larry Ellison, Oracle co-founder and known GOP megadonor, is reportedly planning to pour millions into Scott's 2024 run, people familiar with the matter told CNBC. Ellison was a VIP attendee during Scott's Monday announcement.

In one video shared on Scott's official Twitter page, the Republican asked the audience who will choose "freedom, hope, opportunity" with him, to which the audience responded "Yeah!"

Scott is currently faced with two other likely 2024 presidential candidates from the GOP: Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis.

For one, Scott is currently polling at around 2% nationally, way behind Trump and trailing DeSantis. Also, observers noted he has a lot to prove compared to the other likely Republican presidential frontrunners.

On the other hand, Scott appears to be gaining the interest of some within his party.

Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., led the opening prayer during Scott's presidential announcement, as per Axios.

Trump himself has welcomed Scott's entry to the primaries.

"Tim is a big step up from Ron DeSanctimonious, who is totally unelectable. I got Opportunity Zones done with Time, a big deal that has been highly successful. Good luck Tim!" the business mogul wrote on his TruthSocial platform.

In December, several Republicans told Politico they think Scott had a chance at the GOP primaries.

Sen. Lindsey Graham said he was interested in a possible Scott presidential run, but wanted to see what the businessman can do before he made official endorsements.

Sen. Joni Ernst said he was "very excited" about the possibility of Scott getting into the 2024 race, and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said he would advise Scott to "go for it."

Sen. Thom Tillis said Scott getting into the primaries was "positive" for the GOP, while Sen. Kevin Cramer said Scott was one of the more "endearing and interesting personalities in the Republican conference, and one of the most talented."

Even in the Trump campaign team, there is a positive environment in terms of Scott's 2024 announcement.

A Trump adviser told Politico that unlike DeSantis, Scott didn't need to become "likeable."

Another adviser for the former president's campaign said Scott entering the race "is another sign that there is blood in the water for DeSantis." Within the team, there is belief that new entrants may result in lower numbers for DeSantis and could help Trump's numbers rise further.

Scott is starting weak in his 2024 bid in terms of polling numbers, but his streak of historical breakthroughs in past campaigns may gain further interest, as per CNN.

Former GOP Sen. Cory Gardner said he believes Scott poses a unique threat to liberal Democrats. "I think they're terrified of him, and he's right to say that, because he defies every narrative they have," he said.

Dave Wilson, a South Carolina conservative strategist, said the "biggest thing going" for Scott was his $22 million campaign fund that should help drive his presidential bid forward.

When asked whether he thinks voters prefer a Bible-carrying candidate over one "driving a bulldozer into the Democrats," Scott said in an exclusive interview with NBC's Tom Llamas on Monday that "what people really want is an optimistic, positive, conservative who has a backbone but also believes that the best is yet to come."

If Scott wins the primaries and goes on to defeat President Joe Biden next year, he will become the first Black Republican president to step into the White House.