Elon Musk donates $45m to pro-Trump PAC — after promising he wouldn't
In early 2023, Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk was very bullish on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign. But the campaign did not go well, and DeSantis ended up dropping out of the race and endorsing Donald Trump — who officially received the nomination during the opening day of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Now, according to the Wall Street Journal and Fortune, Musk is donating millions of dollars to the America PAC, a super-PAC that is supporting Trump's campaign.
On March 6, the Tesla/X CEO claimed that neither Trump nor President Joe Biden would be getting any of his money. Musk tweeted, "Just to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for US President."
Fortune's Eva Roytburg, however, notes that Musk has "shifted politically in recent months, accelerated by his nearly nonstop support for Trump."
Musk, according to WSJ, donated $45 million to the America PAC.
"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," Roytburg notes.
Roytburg adds that "in recent years, Musk's philosophy has clearly shifted away from neutrality towards a stronger right-wing stance."
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"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," the Fortune reporter explains.
Read Fortune's full report at this link (subscription required) and the Wall Street Journal's reporting here (subscription required).
