Elon Musk spent at least $277 million backing Trump and the GOP. Here’s where all of that money went.
Elon Musk with his son, X Æ A-12, on Capitol Hill on Thursday.
Elon Musk spent at least $277 million in political contributions to support President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican candidates, according to documents filed late Thursday.
That sum, totaling more than a quarter of a billion dollars, likely makes Musk the single largest donor of the 2024 election. Other top donors this cycle included Timothy Mellon, Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, and Miriam Adelson, all of whom spent more than $100 million supporting Trump and the GOP.
Musk, the owner of X and the CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX, is now set to co-lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” initiative under the incoming Trump administration.
Here’s a look at where Musk’s millions went this election cycle.
Musk poured roughly $239 million into America PAC — and spent $58 million of that on voter giveaways
As of November 25, documents filed with the Federal Election Commission showed that Musk had contributed just shy of $239 million to his personal super PAC, America PAC.
That super PAC, almost entirely funded by Musk alone, would go on to spend $154.5 million directly on canvassing efforts and digital ads to support Trump and oppose Vice President Kamala Harris.
More than $19 million went toward supporting GOP House candidates in 18 battleground districts, 10 of whom ultimately won their races.
The most intriguing revelation from Thursday night’s report, however, was the amount of money that went towards America PAC’s controversial voter giveaways, in which registered voters received $47 or $100 for signing a petition along with the chance to win $1 million.
Records show that $40.5 million went toward paying voters for signing the petition, while an additional $18 million — $1 million apiece — went to 18 lottery winners, each of whom were paid for being a “spokesperson consultant.”
Musk poured $20 million into a mysterious PAC that compared Trump to Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Separately from America PAC, Musk was revealed to be the sole funder of a super PAC that ran ads comparing Trump’s position on abortion to that of the late liberal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Musk contributed $20,500,000 via a trust to “RBG PAC,” which ran ads highlighting his pledge that there would be no federal abortion ban under his watch.
Under President Trump, there will be no abortion ban. Period.
But there will be better jobs, a strong economy, and a brighter future for our families. pic.twitter.com/hYqey3KfHg
— RBG PAC (@RBG_PAC) October 25, 2024
Clara Spera, an abortion rights lawyer who’s also Ginsburg’s granddaughter, told the New York Times in October that the PAC was “an affront to my late grandmother’s legacy.”
“The use of her name and image to support Donald Trump’s re-election campaign, and specifically to suggest that she would approve of his position on abortion, is nothing short of appalling,” Spera said.
Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Musk’s contributions to other GOP groups
While America PAC and RBG PAC represented the bulk of Musk’s spending, there’s a handful of other groups that have also received money from him this election cycle.
He gave $10 million in October to the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC linked to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, along with more than $2.3 million to Sentinel Action Fund. Both groups spent heavily on Senate elections.
Musk contributed $1 million to Early Vote Action PAC, which is led by the pro-Trump activist Scott Presler, along with $924,600 directly to Trump’s campaign and hundreds of thousands to House Republican’s central campaign committee.
It’s likely that Musk spent even more than what’s publicly accounted for, including to “dark money” nonprofit groups that aren’t required to disclose their donors.
He reportedly contributed to a dark money group that gave $3 million to a super PAC that ran ads portraying Harris as simultaneously supportive and hostile toward Israel.
