Billionaire Elon Musk poured even more money into his pro-Trump political action committee and other Republican groups in the first half of October, adding to the already enormous pile of cash he’s contributed this election cycle.
Musk donated almost $44 million more to America PAC and $10 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC linked to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), newly available federal records show. He also poured over $2 million into the Sentinel Action Fund, a conservative Super PAC active on the ground in Pennsylvania.
“Thank you @elonmusk for catching the early vote/ absentee vision! This contribution closes the gap in PA. Let’s go win!” Sentinel Action Fund president Jessica Anderson said on X.
With those donations, Musk has donated almost $120 million to America PAC to register and turn out Republican voters in must-win swing states. Besides Musk, members of the DeVos family gave $2 million and investor Nelson Peltz pumped $1 million to the organization. The exorbitant spending has turned Musk into one of the largest and most important political donors of this election cycle. It represents only a fraction of Musk’s estimated $243 billion net worth, making him the world’s richest man.
America PAC is giving out a $1 million daily prize to registered swing-state voters who sign its petition expressing support for First and Second Amendment rights, a move the Justice Department says might violate federal law.
Federal law prohibits individuals from paying people to register or cast a vote. Nevertheless, America PAC resumed the $1 million daily giveaway Thursday after stopping the sweepstakes Wednesday when news broke of the Justice Department’s warning. Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro (D) has lead the calls for law enforcement to investigate Musk’s $1 million daily giveaways.
In terms of ground game, Republicans are widely thought to be lagging behind the Democrats and their well-organized get-out-the-vote machine, especially among crucial low-propensity voters. America PAC is attempting to bridge the gap and supplement the Trump campaign’s turnout operation.
Musk endorsed former president Donald Trump in July after he survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pa and famously pumped his fist only moments after being shot in the right ear. Musk effectively moved to Pennsylvania a short time later, bringing a team of his top staffers with him to help support the Trump ground game.
Trump returned to Butler earlier this month and Musk delivered a speech at the rally while wearing a “dark MAGA” cap, a reference to a pro-Trump online meme. The former president has promised to put Musk in charge of a government efficiency commission to audit the federal government’s spending for waste and fraud.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is influential beyond his spending because of his large social-media presence and Silicon Valley notoriety. On X, the platform he owns, Musk boasts over 200 million followers and posts about politics almost constantly. In August, Musk interviewed Trump on the platform about the first assassination attempt against him and a number of political issues.
Over the past few years, Musk has shifted from being a moderate Democrat to a full-throated Trump supporter who speaks in existential terms about the stakes of the 2024 election. He often accuses the Democrats of giving mass amnesty to illegal immigrants in order to turn them into reliable Democratic voters.
Threats to free speech and excessive federal regulations also capture Musk’s attention, especially because of the Biden administration’s numerous investigations into Musk’s companies. Free speech and the threat of online censorship motivated Musk to purchase Twitter and give conservatives a greater voice on the platform. Musk also fired most of the company’s staff and rebranded the platform to “X,” its current iteration.
Another one of Musk’s obsessions is the “woke mind virus,” his catch-all term for progressive positions on hot-button issues such as diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and transgender procedures for minors.
Musk is now holding town halls in Pennsylvania to promote America PAC and share his thoughts about the issues he cares about. Pennsylvania is a toss-up state where polls place Trump and Harris in a virtual tie with less than two weeks until election day.