Musk donates to Trump, tapping vast fortune to swing 2024 US presidential race

NEW YORK – Billionaire Elon Musk has donated to a super political action committee working to elect Donald Trump to the White House, a major gambit by the world’s richest person to make his imprint on the US political landscape.

Mr Musk has contributed to a low-profile group called America PAC, according to people familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity to detail his plans.

It is unclear how much Mr Musk has given, but the people characterised the figure as a sizable amount. The PAC is next required to disclose its list of donors on July 15.

The move highlights the growing influence of a technology mogul who tops the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a net worth of US$263.6 billion (S$353 billion) and his shift from a self-described political independent – who said he preferred to stay out of politics – into a figure who regularly uses his X social media platform to espouse right-leaning views and assail Democrats.

Separately, Mr Ken Griffin and Mr Paul Singer, Republican billionaires who have criticised Trump, met the former president to discuss donating to his campaign, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Neither Mr Griffin nor Mr Singer has made any commitment and no decision has been made about whether to contribute to Trump’s re-election, according to the people who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations.

The money injection from Mr Musk comes at a time when Trump has overtaken his rival, President Joe Biden, in fund raising with the help of deep-pocketed Wall Street and corporate donors.

Mr Biden’s own money raising has dropped off following a calamitous debate that led prominent Democratic donors to put away their chequebooks.

Mr Musk has yet to publicly endorse a candidate in the 2024 race and said earlier in the year that he did not anticipate financing either Trump or Mr Biden’s election efforts, but his decision to open his pocketbook presents an opportunity for him to become a financial juggernaut for Republicans.

Multiple requests to Mr Musk for comment were not returned. The Trump campaign declined to comment.

Mr Chris Gober, America PAC’s treasurer, declined to comment.

Ground-game boost

America PAC is working mostly behind the scenes to bolster the Trump campaign’s ground game. 

Though Federal Election Commission disclosures do not detail where work is occurring, canvassing and get-out-the-vote efforts are conducted most intensively in key battleground states that will determine the outcome of the election.

Mr Musk’s efforts threaten to deal a devastating blow to Mr Biden and Democrats, who are already mired in an intraparty battle over the President’s political future.

Democrats invested heavily in field offices and staff in swing states, moves Mr Biden regularly touts on the stump.

A super PAC matching those efforts on Trump’s behalf gives Republicans a major cash advantage to spend official campaign money elsewhere, in what is shaping up to be the most expensive presidential election in US history.

Among outside organisations backing Trump, America PAC is the biggest spender on direct voter contacts.

It has spent US$15.8 million so far, with US$13.1 million of that going for field operations, federal records show. It has also paid for digital media, texting and phone calls to reach voters.

The group focuses on door-to-door persuasion and get-out-the-vote efforts. A recent ruling by the FEC allows super PACs to coordinate with campaigns on voter outreach.

America PAC has hired In Field Strategies, a national grassroots firm that has also done work for the Republican National Committee. 

Representatives for In Field did not respond to a request for comment.

Corporate impact

The political money makes Mr Musk an even more formidable Washington player. He derives his wealth primarily from his holdings in electric vehicle maker Tesla, rocket-builder SpaceX and social media platform X.

His companies already boast sizable government contracts and regularly clash with federal agencies over regulations.

Some of Trump’s proposed policies, such as dismantling Mr Biden’s measures to transition the US to electric vehicles and vows to impose tariffs on Chinese EV makers, would have a direct impact on Tesla.

Mr Musk and Trump have clashed in the past but the two have grown closer, with the tech entrepreneur advising the former president on electric vehicles and crypto policy.

During Tesla’s annual meeting in June, Mr Musk discussed his relationship with Trump.

“He does call me out of the blue for no reason,” Mr Musk said. BLOOMBERG