Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia is making headlines after revealing that he left the Democratic Party and cast his vote for former President Donald Trump, citing concerns over border security. In an interview with Katie Miller on The Katie Miller Podcast, Gebbia explained that immigration and border enforcement were the tipping points for his political shift.
"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 said. "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. That’s not something I can get behind."
Gebbia said his concerns first grew in 2021 when he reached out to Democrats for answers but was left dissatisfied. Seeking more information, he turned to Trump’s son-in-law and former advisor Jared Kushner. "I get on the phone with Jared and say, ‘Hey, can you help me, fill in the gaps for me? Like, what am I missing here? Is this normal?’ And so he put me on this curriculum of just talking to experts in the field. I remember just being like, holy cow, this is crazy. Like, this is not right."
The billionaire co-founder, whose net worth is estimated at over $8 billion, made his political stance public in January with a post on X, declaring that he had voted for Trump in the 2024 election. He also criticized Democrats, saying they had "lost their way."
Gebbia is now stepping into a new role in Washington. Trump tapped him last month to spearhead a federal design overhaul, serving as the nation’s first chief design officer. The initiative aims to modernize and improve the usability of government websites, a mission Gebbia described as making them "as usable as they are beautiful."
He previously worked with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he sought to update outdated systems, particularly the retirement process for federal workers. Calling the current paper-based system an "injustice to civil servants," Gebbia said he hopes to replace it with a streamlined, digital process that could cut processing times from months to just days.
"I’m going to do my best to upgrade our nation to the level of excellence that I feel like the United States deserves," he said.