The new oligarch: Elon Musk spent at least $250 million on Trump’s campaign
6 December 14:47
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars in the final months of this year’s election to help Donald Trump win the presidential race. This became known on Thursday from federal reports, according to Komersant ukrainskyi citing the New York Times.
The amount, although only a small part of Musk’s wealth, is impressive for one donor. The money was directed to organizations that supported Trump, and Musk himself will now play a key role in shaping the new administration.
Musk’s donations to Trump’s campaign
One of Musk’s most unconventional steps was the allocation of $20 million to support the RBG PAC super PAC. This organization was named after Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal U.S. Supreme Court justice who opposed Trump. However, the committee used her name to soften Trump’s stance on abortion and attract more female voters.
Ginsburg’s family has strongly condemned the use of her name. Her granddaughter Clara Spera said in October that the use of her grandmother’s name to support Trump was “outrageous.”
However, the bulk of Musk’s contributions went to America PAC, a super PAC that actively worked in Trump’s favor. In the final weeks of the election campaign, Musk gave three checks of $25 million each. In total, he gave $239 million in cash and in-kind contributions to this committee.
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The Super PAC organized a large-scale campaign in support of Trump, particularly in key states. Musk personally participated in rallies in Pennsylvania, one of the most important states for the election.
In addition, Musk spent $40.5 million on controversial checks to voters in key states who signed a petition in support of the Constitution.
The total amount of Musk’s election spending may remain unknown, as he also funded organizations that do not disclose the names of their donors. However, in addition to America PAC and RBG PAC, he donated $12 million to the election campaigns of Republican senators.
Role in the Trump government
After the election, Musk became a frequent guest at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private club in Florida. He is involved in reducing the size of the federal government and discussing the new administration’s appointments.
While some in Trump’s inner circle, and sometimes the president himself, have expressed fatigue with Musk’s constant presence, his financial backing and influential social media platform outweigh any negatives.
Trump has appointed Elon Musk to a key position in his administration – the businessman will head a body called the Department of Government Effectiveness, or Doge for short. Musk even took part in a conversation between Zelenskyy and Trump after the election result was announced.
