Elon Musk spent $200 million to support Donald Trump

According to someone familiar with the group’s expenses. Elon Musk’s super PAC spent almost $200 million to support Donald Trump’s win. He was setting a new precedent for how billionaires can sway elections.

The wealthy CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, spoke on the condition of privacy and not being permitted to reveal the amount publicly. HE claimed that he provided most of the funding to America PAC, which targeted first-time and low-propensity voters.

A March Federal Election Commission ruling that allowed super PACs to coordinate their advertising efforts with campaigns helped America PAC’s efforts. This allowed the Trump campaign to rely on the nearly limitless funding of the country’s most well-known billionaire to increase turnout in deep-red regions of the country. As a result, the team was able to use the money they saved for a variety of purposes. Such as targeted outreach to formerly Democratic-dominated demographics and national ad campaigns.

Both parties found success with the plan. In battleground states, Trump witnessed significant increases in turnout. The president-elect acknowledged Musk’s contribution to the campaign at the end. At his party in Florida on election night, Trump declared, “We have a new star.” “Elon, a star is born!”

James Blair’s Opinion

James Blair, the political director for the Trump campaign, stated that The FEC ruling cleared the way for us to gain more benefit from soft money enterprises that were going out and doing this work anyway. In contrast to the early days when super PACs had to make their decisions without formally consulting the campaigns they were supporting, Blair served as the primary point of contact between the Trump operation and organizations such as America PAC.

Blair stated that they were able to go wider and deeper on paid voter contact and advertising programs by conserving hard dollars. He went on to say that this included both national-scale advertising campaigns and, crucially, more focused ads meant to increase turnout among Black and Latino men, two demographics where Trump made significant gains in 2024.

Trump benefited from more than just Musk’s funding. In the latter months of the campaign, the billionaire businessman frequently joined the former president onstage. He became one of Trump’s most well-known substitutes. Trump has a direct window into the world of younger guys who admire Musk thanks to his backing.

Musk’s ownership of X, the social media site that was formerly known as Twitter. The company’s efforts to repeal numerous regulations that hampered Trump prior also worked in Trump’s favor. Musk strongly disagrees with social media initiatives to combat misinformation. It claiming that they amount to pro-government censorship, much like many other conservatives.

Many anticipate that Musk will play a major role in a second Trump administration. Musk, whose rocket firm collaborates with the Defense Department and intelligence agencies. He will lead a new government efficiency council, according to the president-elect.