Elon Musk plans to donate $45 million per month to the nascent pro-Trump America PAC, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
The super PAC, formed in May, has already received millions in donations from tech giants and Musk orbiters using their fortunes to influence the democratic process in Trump’s favor in 2024. The Wall Street Journal reported that the PAC “had $8.75 million in contributions for the three-month period ending on June 30,” including from former Tesla board member Antonio Gracias, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale.
While Musk had not donated to America PAC as of June, he intends on beginning with the monthly donations in July, according to those familiar with the matter.
In March, Musk wrote on X, “I am not donating money to either candidate for US President.” But Musk’s political beliefs have taken a yearslong turn toward right-wing extremism, and in recent months, he has reportedly grown closer to Trump. Last week, he endorsed Trump after the assassination attempt against him and excoriated The New York Times for daring to run an op-ed critical of the presidential candidate after the shooting.
Musk has denied The Wall Street Journal’s reporting, posting a meme on X deeming the story fake news. Shortly after, however, he responded in the affirmative to a tweet saying, “Elon Musk went from being an Obama voter to pledging $180 million to elect DJT. The woke left really f*cked up. Badly.”
The details of the reporting on Musk and America PAC offer dizzying reminders of the vast power the super wealthy wield in our system of government—and how a party making increasing strides to appear populist of late happily benefits from these elites’ influence. Stressing the dire need for campaign finance reform, Senator Bernie Sanders responded to the story on X, writing, “This is oligarchy: a government of the billionaires, by the billionaires, and for the billionaires.”
