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Musk Gives at Least $132 Million to Elect Trump, GOP Allies

Elon Musk gave another $56 million to elect Donald Trump and other Republicans in the final weeks of the 2024 election, bringing to at least $132 million the amount spent by the world’s richest person to elevate his allies to the White House and Congress, federal filings show.

The donations — revealed in disclosures with the Federal Election Commission Thursday — show that the Tesla Inc. and SpaceX chief executive officer has poured money into the Washington trifecta: funding Trump’s White House bid, along with supporting House and Senate Republicans.

Musk, who had only given modest political donations until the 2024 election cycle, funneled $43.6 million in the first half of October into America PAC, the group he founded, bringing his total for the year to $118.6 million. He also spent millions more spreading money around the political system which helps him build a network of allies.

That level of giving has vaulted him into the upper echelon of political donors, making Musk one of the most prolific contributors of the entire 2024 cycle.

The filings show donations through Oct. 16 and are the final detailed look at federal campaigns’ and super political action committees’ finances before Election Day on Nov. 5.

Musk’s super PAC is paying for operations to boost voter turnout for Trump in battleground states and Republicans in swing districts that could help the GOP win a House majority. America PAC is also spending on digital ad campaigns, some of which target young men, trying to get them to the polls to offset Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris’ advantage among women voters.

Musk’s giving to other groups included $10 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC that aims to elect Senate Republicans, and $2.3 million to the Sentinel Action Fund, a super PAC doing get-out-the-vote work for Republican Senate campaigns in Montana, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The donations are the latest demonstration of how Musk, whose companies boast billions of dollars worth of federal contracts and who has personally bristled at government regulations, is expanding his political influence network to include a potential future president and members of Congress.

His political activities have received some scrutiny from federal officials. The US Justice Department sent a letter to his super PAC this week warning that a program to give $1 million a day to registered voters in swing states who sign an online petition may violate federal laws. It’s illegal to pay individuals to vote or to register to vote.

In addition to Musk, eight other individuals also donated to America PAC, including investor Nelson Peltz and members of the DeVos family, who are longtime Republican donors. Betsy DeVos was Trump’s education secretary.

America PAC spent $47 million and had $3.3 million cash on hand heading into the last 19 days before Election Day. Since its launch earlier this year through Oct. 16, America PAC has spent $105 million backing Trump.