A lifelong Democrat, Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia announced that he abandoned the Democratic Party and cast his vote for President Trump in 2024 after growing frustrated with what he saw as the party’s failure to enforce U.S. border laws.
Gebbia shared on The Katie Miller Podcast that beginning around 2021, he became concerned the Biden administration was not enforcing immigration laws. He stated, “This is a real problem and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be enforcing the laws of our country and our border.” He said the lack of boundary enforcement was a turning point that led him to conclude he could not remain aligned with a party that supports open borders.
To gain clarity, Gebbia reached out to Jared Kushner, describing, “What am I missing here? Is this normal?” He credited Kushner with introducing him to experts who shaped his views, remarking, “I remember just being like holy cow, this is crazy. This is not right.”
Additional influences on his shift included his relationships with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Elon Musk. He praised Kennedy’s public health stance and Musk’s government reform efforts.
