Rama Krishna Sangem
Tesla boss and billionaire Elon Musk has donated a huge sum (not yet disclosed) 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. The amount is not officially disclosed, but sources said, it would keep Trump ahead of his rival President Biden in the campaign trail.
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’s unclear how much 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 $263.6 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, Ken Griffin and Paul Singer, Republican billionaires who have criticised Trump, met with the former president to discuss donating to his campaign, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Big help to Trump
Neither Singer nor Griffin has made any commitment and no decision has been made about whether to contribute to Trump’s reelection, according to the people who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations.
The money injection from Musk comes at a time when Trump has overtaken his rival, President Joe Biden, in fundraising with the help of deep-pocketed Wall Street and corporate donors. Biden’s own money raising has dropped off following a calamitous debate that led prominent Democratic donors to put away their checkbooks.
Musk has yet to publicly endorse a candidate in the 2024 race and said earlier this year he did not anticipate financing either Trump or 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 for comment to Musk were not returned. The Trump campaign declined to comment. Though this donation may be small or big, the fact that Musk supporting Trump will definitely tilt the scales in favour of the former president.
