Newly released filings reveal that Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, spent over $250 million into efforts to re-elect Donald Trump, positioning himself as one of the most significant financial backers of the Trump campaign.
Documents filed with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday show Musk donated $238 million to America PAC, a super PAC he founded earlier this year. The organization focused on mobilizing voters in key battleground states to secure a Trump victory.
Musk also contributed to other pro-Trump groups, including the RBG PAC, which spent millions on Trump campaign advertisements.
The group controversially aligned Trump’s views with those of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal icon. Musk’s $20.5 million donation to RBG PAC came shortly before the election, making him its sole financial backer.
The ads sparked backlash, with Ginsburg’s granddaughter, Clara Spera, denouncing them as misleading and an affront to her grandmother’s legacy.
Another Musk-backed effort was the MAHA Alliance, a super PAC advocating for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supporters to switch allegiance to Trump. Musk donated $3 million to the group, which ran targeted ads in swing states. Kennedy, who ended his independent campaign earlier in the year, endorsed Trump and has since been named to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Enon Musk has been tapped by Trump to co-lead the newly proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The department’s mission is to streamline government operations and reduce spending.
Musk’s influence was on display Thursday when he met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill as part of early discussions about cutting government costs.
Trump’s transition team has drawn heavily from his donor base, appointing several wealthy supporters to prominent roles:
- Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and Trump’s pick for Commerce Secretary, donated nearly $9 million to MAGA Inc.
- Linda McMahon, former WWE executive and incoming Education Secretary, contributed over $20 million.
- Kelly Loeffler, ex-Senator and Trump’s choice to lead the Small Business Administration, also made significant financial contributions.
- Scott Bessent, slated for Treasury Secretary, and major donors Warren Stephens and Charles Kushner, have been rewarded with diplomatic roles.
Venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz made late-cycle donations totaling $23 million to Fairshake, a crypto-focused super PAC. Their firm’s alignment with Trump’s pro-cryptocurrency stance signals a shift from the Biden administration’s regulatory approach.
Trump has already named crypto advocate Paul Atkins as his pick for SEC chair and appointed tech investor David Sacks to oversee White House policies on artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency.