A recent report from the Federal Election Commission has exposed howTesla CEO Elon Musk was one of the key figures who helped support Donald Trump‘s successful presidential campaign in 2024 by donating over $250 million through a series of super PACs. The biggest donations made by him included an amount of $20 million to the unknown RBG PAC during the last stretch of the campaign.
RBG PAC, which had not disclosed its donors before the election, used Musk‘s contributions to fund digital ads, mailers, and text message campaigns between October 17 and November 15. The PAC also ran a contentious ad campaign claiming that Trump shared similar views on abortion with the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, prompting Ginsburg‘s granddaughter, Clara Spera, to describe the claim as “appalling.”
Changing Positions on Abortion
RBG PAC‘s story on Trump‘s abortion record came at a time when he was changing his position on the issue. Although Trump claimed credit for the Supreme Court‘s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, he also retreated from promising a federal abortion ban in his campaign, citingstates‘ rights to decide abortion laws. The change notwithstanding, Democrats continued to hammer on Trump‘s record, cautioning that his re-election and a Republican-led Congress would result in thecountry-wide restriction of abortion.
America PAC and Major Contributions from Musk
Musk’s financial involvement extended beyond RBG PAC. He donated $238 million to America PAC, a super PAC that spent $157 million to support Donald Trump. This included $120 million in donations made during the final weeks of the election. America PAC utilised these funds for canvassing, get-out-the-vote efforts, digital ads, and controversial initiatives such as a $1 million daily cash giveaway tied to a conservative petition.
Additional Support for Pro-Trump Efforts
Musk‘s involvement did not end there; he further gave $3 million to the MAHA Alliance–a super PAC associated with Robert F. Kennedy‘s “Make America Healthy Again“ effort. The magnitude of this investment inother groups that promoted the agenda of Trump can be betterunderstood from future filing as more reports are done.
Effect and Future Repercussions
This kind of high-level financing by Elon Musk also raised the question of what place billionaires take in the democratic process. Being among the most influential business leaders on the planet, this makes his input further define the evolving dynamics around political campaign financing, with one donor‘s contribution altering the image of an election.
