Tesla CEO Elon Musk donated $45 million to a super political action committee (PAC) dedicated to re-electing former President Donald Trump, a marked shift into the political landscape by the world’s richest person. That’s according to a Wall Street Journal report, citing people familiar with the matter.
Only days before publicly endorsing the former president, Musk donated to the America PAC, a low-profile group formed in June to fund Trump’s bid for the presidency. He previously vowed not to donate to Biden or Trump in their rematch for the White House.
“Just to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for US President,” Musk wrote on X in March.
Yet, Musk has shifted politically in recent months, accelerated by his nearly nonstop support for Trump, which Musk reiterated in the wake of an assassination attempt on the presumptive GOP nominee during a campaign rally Saturday. As the CEO of an electric vehicle manufacturer—the Tesla Model Y the best-selling vehicle last year in decidedly progressive California—it’s unclear whether Musk’s stance will clash with the political leanings of electric vehicle buyers.
Beyond Musk, serious tech money is flowing into the PAC from Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss and Joe Lonsdale, Palantir Technologies cofounder, the WSJ reported.
Political shift
Musk – who has donated to both Democrats and Republicans – previously described himself as an independent who donates only to extend his influence among politicians.
He has donated about $80,639 per election cycle from 2004-2020, according to the nonprofit OpenSecrets. About 50.1% of that money went to Republican causes, of the $688,350 that went directly to federal candidates and party committees.
“I get involved in politics as little as possible,” he said during a 2015 Vanity Fair event. “There’s some amount I have to get involved in, mostly because SpaceX has to battle Boeing and Lockheed for national security and civil space launch contracts. If we don’t battle them, then we’ll lose.”
Musk has said he previously voted for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and current President Joe Biden but also endorsed Republican House candidates during the 2022 race.
In recent years, Musk’s philosophy has clearly shifted away from neutrality towards a stronger right-wing stance. Some have marked his 2022 purchase of X – formerly Twitter – as the beginning of his political involvement, where he gave himself a platform to espouse his frequent critiques of Biden.
“I voted 100% Dem until a few years ago,” Musk said in March. “Now I think we need a red wave or America is toast.”