>> reached that stage of no wanting the approval of those easily offended people.

>He craves approval, the people that he crave it from are just as easily offended as anyone else.

I would not make that assumption unless I knew him personally.

I mean, I don't know him personally, either, but I do think they're correct that he craves approval.

Hell, he tried to get the left's approval for years. However nothing he did was ever good enough to satisfy the loudest, most critical voices, which I think has contributed to his abandonment of the left as a whole.

It probably didn't help that he was outright snubbed by the previous administration numerous times. I think that blatant disapproval helped shape who he is today, too.

I'm mostly basing this on pragmatism, really. He wants to succeed, and if the left isn't enabling that, of course he'll try the right. They seem much more welcoming (ironic!), and much more supportive of his goals (also ironic, given Tesla's position opposing fossil fuels and climate change!)