Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia has confirmed he left the Democratic Party over the border crisis and now supports President Donald Trump, citing concerns about immigration enforcement and national security, as reported by The New York Post.
Gebbia, who had long identified as a Democrat, said his views began to shift in 2021 as he watched the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border deteriorate under then-President Joe Biden.
In an interview on “The Katie Miller Podcast” released Monday, Gebbia said he realized he could no longer support a party that “lets in criminals and dangerous people into our country.”
“I remember just being like, ‘Holy cow, this is crazy,’” Gebbia said. “‘This is not right, this is a real problem and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be enforcing the laws of our country and our border.’”
Gebbia explained that he initially reached out to Jared Kushner, former White House senior adviser and Trump’s son-in-law, for perspective. From there, he said, he began reevaluating other issues.
“I sort of, you know, begin to look at other topics and eventually came to the point where I don’t think I can support a political party that wants to have an open border, that lets in criminals and dangerous people into our country,” Gebbia said.
“That’s just not something I can get behind.”
His move toward the Republican Party was influenced by friendships with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and businessman Elon Musk.
Gebbia credited both with encouraging him to look more closely at broader policy issues and to take a stronger interest in government accountability.
“I’ve been on my journey. Everyone’s been on a journey,” Gebbia said.
“I think through, you know, certainly Bobby Kennedy and supporting him, and I’ve been so grateful for the work that he’s doing, to be somebody who just cares so much about the health of our nation, and you know, has no ties to industry and is really just able to bust through walls and sort of, like, right-size the ship.”
In February, Gebbia volunteered with Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, assisting with reviews of retirement procedures for government employees.
Last month, President Trump appointed him chief design officer of the newly launched National Design Studio, a program intended to improve the usability and design of federal government websites.
Gebbia’s public remarks mark a significant shift for one of Silicon Valley’s most recognizable figures, highlighting growing tensions between the tech industry and the Democratic Party’s policies on immigration and governance.
