Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, cofounder of Paypal, and CEO of electric car maker Tesla has made a ‘sizeable’ donation to political group working together to elect Republican Party Presidential candidate Donald Trump to the White House. While it is still unclear how much was donated, the figure is characterized as a ‘sizeable’ amount, reported, Bloomberg.
Elon Musk’s Major Donation to Pro-Trump Group
Musk’s contribution is reported as a ‘major gambit’ to make an imprint on the U.S. political landscape by the world’s richest person. Musk’s worth is $263.6 billion as per the Bloomberg Billionaire Index (BBI). According to Bloomberg, the donation was made to a low-profile group called the American Political Action Committee (PAC), people familiar with the matter reported, who also requested anonymity to detail his plans. The list of donors will be disclosed by PAC on July 15.
Source: India Today
The action grabbed the attention as Elon Musk, a South African immigrant to the U.S, made a donation to the super political action committee, which is working on electing a vocally anti-immigrant Republican Party presidential candidate, who is known for strict ani-immigration policies and views.
The Billionaire, Elon Musk, is yet to publicly endorse a candidate in the 2024 election. Musk earlier this year said that he has no plan to finance either Trump or Biden’s election campaign efforts.
Bloomberg reported that instead of multiple requests to Musk, he declined to comment on anything. Additionally, The Trump campaign and Chris Gober, America PAC’s treasurer, declined to comment.
Despite having clashed in the past Elon Musk and Donald Trump have grown closer with the billionaire tech entrepreneur advising the former president on electric vehicles and crypto policy.
During Tesla’s annual meeting last month, Musk spoke about his relationship with former president Donald Trump. Stating “He does call me out of the blue for no reason”.
Biden Campaign Responds
“Arrogant billionaires only out for themselves are not what America wants or what America needs,” quoted Reuters, James Singer, a spokesman for the Biden campaign, said in a statement. “Elon knows Trump is a sucker who will sell America out, cutting his taxes while raising taxes on the middle class by $2,500.”
The financial support from Elon Musk comes at a pivotal moment, as former president Trump has overtaken his rival, President Joe Biden in fundraising, thanks to corporate donors and substantial contributions from Wall Street. Biden’s own fundraising efforts have dropped off following a disastrous debate that led prominent Democratic donors to halt their contributions.
In Field Strategies
America PAC is mostly working behind the scenes to support the ground game in Trump’s campaign.The contributions made by Musk posed a serious threat to President Joe Biden and the Democrats, who are already entangled in an internal battle over Biden’s political future.
As a pro-Trump super-PAC will match such efforts, it allows Republicans an important financial advantage, which then enables them to use official campaign funds somewhere else in what promises to be the most expensive presidential election in the history of the US.
Among outside groups working for Trump, America PAC is the largest spender on direct voter contacts. Federal records show it has spent $15.8 million to date, $13.1 million of that on-field operations, according to federal records, reported Bloomberg. It has also paid for digital media, texting, and phone calls in an effort to reach voters.
Door-to-door persuasion and get-out-the-vote efforts. A recent FEC ruling allows super PACs to coordinate with campaigns on voter outreach programs.
America PAC has hired In Field Strategies, a national grass-roots firm that has also worked for the Republican National Committee.
In Field representatives didn’t respond to a request for comment.
