Elon Musk Spends $277 Million to Support Trump and Republicans in 2024 Election

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, spent a staggering $277 million to back President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican candidates during the 2024 election cycle, according to Federal Election Commission filings released Thursday.

This makes Musk the largest donor to either political party in this election cycle, with most of his contributions funneled through his America PAC.

Musk personally contributed $239 million to America PAC, which became his primary vehicle for political spending. The PAC used the funds for voter outreach efforts, including door-knocking campaigns, phone calls, mailers, and advertisements.

Notably, the PAC’s largest expense was a $40.5 million payment to United States of America, Inc., a company registered just last month at an address linked to Musk. The purpose of these funds remains unclear.

Beyond America PAC, Musk made headlines for funding a controversial political action committee named "RBG PAC," which invoked the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s name in advertisements supporting Trump.

Musk donated $20.5 million to the PAC, its sole contribution. The group ran ads claiming Ginsburg held views on abortion that aligned with Trump’s, despite Ginsburg’s well-documented support for abortion rights. Critics, including Ginsburg’s granddaughter Clara Spera, condemned the PAC for misrepresenting Ginsburg’s legacy.

Musk also contributed $10 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, which supports Republican Senate candidates, and $3 million to the MAHA Alliance PAC, an organization promoting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s "Make America Healthy Again" agenda.

In addition to traditional political funding, Musk employed unconventional tactics to generate attention and sway voters. In October, he launched a controversial sweepstakes, pledging to give away $1 million a day to registered voters in Pennsylvania who signed his petition.

Although the initiative faced legal challenges, a judge allowed it to proceed. Musk’s lawyers clarified that winners were chosen based on their personal stories rather than by chance and signed contracts to become spokespeople for America PAC. However, Musk now faces lawsuits from participants alleging the sweepstakes was falsely marketed as a lottery.

Musk’s rise as a major political donor was swift and surprising. As recently as March, he posted on X, his social media platform, that he had no plans to support either presidential candidate.

However, on July 3, he made a $5 million donation to America PAC, and within ten days, he publicly endorsed Trump. By October, Musk was hosting rallies, including one in Pennsylvania on October 20, where he urged voters to see the 2024 election as the most critical of their lifetimes.

Trump’s victory solidified Musk’s growing influence in Republican politics. Following the election, the president-elect appointed Musk to co-lead a new initiative called the Department of Government Efficiency alongside former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

The department aims to advise on cutting $500 billion in annual government spending and reducing federal positions.

Musk’s unprecedented spending and political involvement mark a significant shift in his public persona, cementing him as a central figure in Trump’s reelection and the broader Republican campaign.