Airbnb co-founder says Biden’s border crisis drove him to leave the Democratic Party
Joe Gebbia, co-founder of Airbnb, has publicly announced that he left the Democratic Party and now supports former President Donald Trump. His change in political stance was driven primarily by concerns over the border crisis under President Joe Biden’s management, which he criticized for allowing criminals and dangerous individuals into the country. Gebbia expressed his disillusionment in an interview on The Katie Miller Podcast, saying he could no longer support a party that opposes strict border enforcement.
He began questioning his political affiliations around 2021 and sought insight from Jared Kushner, a close advisor to Trump.Gebbia also credits friendships with figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Elon Musk as influential in his ideological shift. Musk publicly supported Gebbia’s views on immigration enforcement, highlighting concerns about mass voter importation.
In 2025, gebbia joined musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, a Trump-backed initiative aimed at modernizing outdated government systems. Later that year, President Trump appointed him as the frist Chief Design Officer of the United States. In this role, Gebbia leads the “America by Design” initiative, which seeks to overhaul nearly 26,000 federal websites to improve usability, aesthetics, and mobile compatibility.
though his political shift has brought him criticism and negative feedback, Gebbia remains committed to public service and modernizing government operations. His journey marks a notable transition from Silicon Valley liberal to a key player in government technology reform under a Trump administration.
Airbnb co-founder says Biden’s border crisis drove him to leave the Democratic Party
Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia has publicly revealed that he left the Democratic Party and is now supporting President Donald Trump, citing the border crisis under then-President Joe Biden as the turning point in his political transformation.
In a new interview on The Katie Miller Podcast, Gebbia said he could no longer align himself with a political party that, in his words, “lets in criminals and dangerous people into our country.”
“I remember just being like, ‘Holy cow, this is crazy,’” Gebbia told host Katie Miller, a former Trump administration official.
Mass importation of voters was and still is their goal https://t.co/DBdJ8uCCxa
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 2, 2025
“There’s no reason we shouldn’t be enforcing the laws of our country and our border,” he added.
Gebbia — a billionaire entrepreneur who was long considered a Silicon Valley liberal — said his shift began around 2021, when the Biden administration’s handling of the southern border left him deeply concerned.
After expressing frustration to friends, Gebbia said he turned to Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and close advisor, for insight.
“I started to pull on that thread,” Gebbia said. “I began 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.”
He also credited his growing friendships with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Elon Musk as part of his ideological evolution.
“I’ve been on my journey. Everyone’s been on a journey,” he said.
Elon Musk reacted to Gebbia’s remarks on X, formerly Twitter, backing his concerns about immigration enforcement.
“Mass importation of voters was and still is their goal,” Musk posted in response to a clip of Gebbia’s interview with Miller.
Musk and Gebbia have maintained a close professional relationship; Gebbia sits on Tesla’s board and was introduced to DOGE earlier this year through Musk.
In February 2025, Gebbia announced he was joining Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, a Trump-backed initiative focused on modernizing outdated government systems.
Airbnb co-founder @jgebbia is working with @DOGE to digitize the government’s antiquated retirement process — which is literally housed in 22,000 filing cabinets in a Pennsylvania cave.
“The process takes many months — and we’re going to make it just many days.” pic.twitter.com/o68oP0Jd4O
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 27, 2025
In a major vote of confidence, President Donald Trump in August 2025 appointed Gebbia as the first-ever Chief Design Officer of the United States, where he will lead a massive overhaul of federal websites and user experiences.
“I’m honored to be appointed by Trump as the first Chief Design Officer of the United States of America,” Gebbia posted on X. “My directive is to update today’s government services to be as satisfying to use as the Apple Store.”
The initiative, called “America by Design,” aims to modernize nearly 26,000 federal websites — many of which are outdated, clunky, and not mobile-friendly. According to the White House, fewer than 6% of government websites meet modern performance standards.
Trump’s executive order establishing the National Design Studio describes a government “lagging behind in usability and aesthetics,” and tasks Gebbia with leading a new chapter in public sector design and innovation.
Gebbia acknowledged that his political shift hasn’t come without consequences.
“The hate mail text messages that I got were disheartening to say the least,” he told Miller in the podcast interview. “It was just depressing for some period of time.”
While Gebbia left his operational role at Airbnb in 2022, he remains on the board.
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Despite the blowback, Gebbia says he remains committed to public service and believes in the mission he’s taken on to help the federal government become more efficient.
From Airbnb designer to federal reformer, Gebbia’s transformation has placed him at the center of one of the most high-profile tech-government collaborations in U.S. history.
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