Tesla CEO Elon Musk donated $45 million to a super PAC working to re-elect former President Donald Trump, a notable shift in the political landscape for the world’s richest man . This is based on a wall street journal The report quoted people familiar with the matter as saying.
Just days before publicly endorsing the former president, Musk donated to America PAC, a low-profile group founded in June to fund Trump’s presidential campaign. He previously vowed not to donate to either Biden or Trump in their rematch for the White House.
“Let me be clear, I will not donate to any U.S. presidential candidate,” Musk wrote on X in March this year.
In recent months, however, Musk has undergone a political about-face, accelerated by his near-constant support for Trump after the presumptive Republican nominee was assassinated at a campaign rally on Saturday. , Musk reiterated this point. As the CEO of an electric car maker (the Tesla Model Y was the best-selling car last year in decidedly progressive California), it’s unclear whether Musk’s stance will conflict with the political leanings of electric car buyers.
In addition to Musk, Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss and Palantir Technologies co-founders, wall street journal reported.
political change
Musk, who has donated to both the Democratic and Republican parties, previously described himself as an independent and donated money just to expand his influence among politicians.
He donated about $80,639 each election cycle from 2004 to 2020, according to the nonprofit OpenSecrets. About 50.1% of that amount went to Republican causes, with $688,350 going directly to federal candidates and party committees.
“I stay involved in politics as little as possible,” he said at a 2015 Vanity Fair event. “I have to be involved in some of the work, primarily because SpaceX has to compete with Boeing and Lockheed for national security and civilian space launch contracts. If we don’t fight them, then we’re going to lose.
Musk said he had previously voted for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and current President Joe Biden, but also supported Republican House candidates during the 2022 campaign.
In recent years, Musk’s philosophy has shifted significantly from centrism to a more hard-right stance. Some view his 2022 acquisition of X (formerly Twitter) as the beginning of his political involvement, giving himself a platform to bolster his frequent criticism of Biden.
“Until a few years ago, I voted 100 percent Democratic,” Musk said in March. “Now I think we need a red wave or America is screwed.”
