Musk gives $75M to Trump campaign, becomes Republican mega donor
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has donated nearly $75 million to America PAC, a pro-Donald Trump spending group, in the last three months. The contribution makes Musk one of the biggest Republican donors in the ongoing election cycle. America PAC, according to federal disclosures, outspent all other pro-Trump Super PACs focused on voter turnout from July to September, spending some $72 million.
Musk's role in America PAC
Musk was the only donor to America PAC during this time. He had recently announced on X that he would be "giving a series of talks" in Pennsylvania, where he appeared with Trump. Pennsylvania is seen as a key state for both presidential candidates. This is a major turnaround for Musk, who has previously voted for Democratic candidates but endorsed Trump in July and joined him at a Pennsylvania rally earlier this month.
America PAC's strategy and challenges amid Musk's support
America PAC is mainly focused on getting sporadic Trump supporters to vote, using a labor-intensive strategy. The group struggled with hiring and contractor issues since it was late to the election cycle. It has fired two major contractors hired for door-to-door canvassing since July. The group also struggled to recruit door knockers in several battleground states, due to staffing competition from other canvassing organizations.
Musk's donations place him among top Republican donors
Musk's donations put him in the league of prominent Republican mega donors such as Timothy Mellon and Miriam Adelson. According to reports, Musk has secretly funded conservative political groups for years before coming out in support of Trump. America PAC refused to comment on Musk's donations, while Musk did not respond to Reuters's request for comment. By the end of September, America PAC had about $4 million remaining in its coffers.
