Billionaire Elon Musk has donated to a super political action committee working to elect Donald Trump to the White House. It is a major step by the world’s richest person to make his mark on the US political landscape.
Musk has donated to a low-profile group called America PAC, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named to discuss its plans. It’s unclear how much Musk has given, but the people described the figure as a large sum. The PAC is next required to disclose its list of donors on July 15.
The move reflects the growing influence of a technology tycoon who tops the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a net worth of $263.6 billion and has transformed from a self-declared political independent — who said he prefers to stay away from politics — into a man who regularly uses his X social-media platform to espouse right-wing views and attack Democrats.
Musk’s donation comes as Trump has outpaced his rival President Joe Biden in raising money from Wall Street and corporate donors. Biden’s own fundraising has fallen as major Democratic donors put down their checkbooks after a fraught debate.
Musk has not yet publicly endorsed any candidate in the 2024 race and said earlier this year that he did not expect to finance Trump or Biden’s election efforts, but his decision to open his wallet has given him an opportunity to become a financial juggernaut for Republicans.
Multiple requests for comment from Musk were not received. The Trump campaign declined to comment.
Chris Gober, treasurer of the America PAC, declined to comment.
Ground-game boost
America PAC has been working largely behind the scenes to bolster the Trump campaign’s ground preparations.
Although the Federal Election Commission disclosure does not specify where the work is taking place, campaigning and get-out-the-vote efforts are being most intense in key battleground states that will determine the outcome of the election.
Musk’s efforts threaten to deal a major blow to Biden and Democrats, who are already caught in a bitter intra-party fight over the president’s political future.
Democrats have invested heavily in field offices and staff in swing states, which Biden regularly campaigns in.
A super PAC matching these efforts on Trump’s behalf would give Republicans a huge cash advantage to spend official campaign money elsewhere in what is quickly becoming the most expensive presidential election in U.S. history.
Among outside organizations supporting Trump, America PAC is the biggest spender on direct voter contact. Federal records show it has spent $15.8 million so far, with $13.1 million of that going to field operations. It has also paid for digital media, texting and phone calls to reach voters.
This group focuses on going door-to-door to persuade people to vote and encourage them to vote. The FEC’s recent decision allows super PACs to coordinate with campaigns to reach voters.
America PAC hired In Field Strategies, a national grassroots firm that has also worked for the Republican National Committee.
Representatives for these fields did not respond to requests for comment.
Corporate influence
Political money makes Musk an even more powerful player in Washington. He derives his wealth mainly from his stakes in electric vehicle makers Tesla Inc., SpaceX and X. His companies already have large government contracts and regularly clash with federal agencies over regulations.
Some of Trump’s proposed policies, such as undoing Biden’s measures to transition the US to electric vehicles and a pledge to impose tariffs on Chinese EV makers, would have a direct impact on Tesla.
Musk and Trump have clashed before, but the two have grown closer after the tech entrepreneur advised the former president on electric vehicles and crypto policy.
Musk discussed his relationship with Trump during Tesla’s annual meeting last month.
“He calls me out of the blue for no reason,” Musk said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
