NEWSWEEK
Elon Musk remains the sole donor to his political action committee, America PAC.
The tech billionaire, who established the committee in May to support Donald Trump’s reelection bid, has now donated $75 million, according to data from the Federal Election Commission.
Musk has become a key player in the former president’s election campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris. He recently appeared at a campaign rally alongside Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he described himself as “dark MAGA.”
Trump has continually referenced Musk‘s endorsement while on the campaign trail and has also said he will bring Musk into a newly envisioned government efficiency commission if he regains the White House.
Musk has made seven donations to the PAC, and his September gift of $30 million was the largest. In August, he made two donations of $7.5 million early in the month and donated a further $15 million on Aug. 20.
The billionaire endorsed Trump following an assassination attempt in the summer. On July 13, Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight rounds during a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was only injured by a graze to his right ear, but Crooks killed one person and injured two others before he was killed by Secret Service agents.
When Trump made his return to Butler after the assassination attempt, Musk joined him and spoke at the rally, saying Democrats want “to take away your freedom of speech, they want to take away your right to bear arms, they want to take away your right to vote.”
Musk, who was born in South Africa, is currently on track to become the world’s first trillionaire, according to CNN.
The Trump and Harris campaigns have sought significant donations from notable figures. According to The Independent, Harris has received $1 billion in campaign donations since she entered the race in July.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has donated $7 million to a super PAC supporting the Harris campaign, and LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman donated $1.7 million.
Trump has raised $600 million in his campaign.
Woody Johnson, heir to the Johnson and Johnson pharmaceutical company and co-owner of the New York Jets, donated $1 million to a Trump super PAC, MAGA Inc.
Musk’s $75 million PAC donation is equivalent to over 10 percent of the money raised by the Trump campaign.
A report from OpenSecrets has projected that a record of $15.9 billion will be spent on federal elections this year. That’s an increase of $800 million from the 2020 record, according to the report.
