Billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk found himself under fire on his own app, X, after reports surfaced Friday that he donated to a super Pac working to elect former President Donald Trump — a candidate who just this week asked MAGA supporters, "Who wants to drive an electric car for the rest of your life?"
Musk, the world's wealthiest man worth an estimated $263.6 billion, donated to America PAC, anonymous sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. It wasn't immediately known how much he donated, but it was described as a sizable amount.
The PAC must disclose its list of donors Monday.
Republicans quietly formed the super PAC in May as the party prepared to put resources toward convincing Trump supporters to vote early or by absentee ballot, according to The New York Times. In late June, the group spent nearly $7 million on behalf of Trump.
Read also: Cash-strapped Trump quietly courts billionaire Elon Musk: report
The news of the donation comes four days after Trump bashed electric vehicles — and repeated his familiar phrase "Drill, baby, drill!" — at his rally Tuesday in Doral, Florida.
"She’s 100 percent for the Green New Scam," Trump said of Vice President Kamala Harris. "Supports banning the sale of gas-powered cars. Who wants to drive an electric car for the rest of your life? Does anybody? You don’t want to drive for 45 minutes and then stop for three hours, is that what you're saying?"
Trump added: "And Once the American energy industry totally shut down, starting with Pennsylvania fracking and Texas drilling, no drilling in Texas, no fracking in Pennsylvania."
News of Musk's reported donation earned a mountain of criticism on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that he bought over free speech concerns.
"Elon Musk just donated to Trump," wrote @HoffmanHopes. "X is now a platform to destroy our Democracy."
"Trump hates EV so not sure what Musk counts on," wrote @cyprianpl.
"Trump doesn't believe in EVs. Musk is really trying hard," said @SheliaD59.
"Looks like Trump has kompromat on Musk," wrote @BorisTrump6. "Supporting an EV hating candidate makes no sense otherwise."
"If anything, Elon Musk is one of the few wealthy Americans who will actually be harmed by Trump tax policy relative to Biden," said @cowabungatime. "The first thing Republicans are going to get rid of are the electric car tax credits that were expanded under ARP and IRA."
It was just four months ago Musk said he wouldn't donate to Trump or Biden — a fact not lost amongst X users.
"Just to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for US President," Musk wrote March 6.
"Guess he lied again?" @jbh_1970 retorted.
"Story in two parts," wrote @JonTripathi. "Will be interesting to see what he receives in return."
