Elon Musk plans to give USD 45 million a month to pro-Trump super PAC: Report
Jul 16, 2024
California [US], July 16 : Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said he plans to give USD 45 million a month to a new super political-action committee supporting former US President Donald Trump's presidential run, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Other backers of the group called American PAC, include Palantir Technologies PLTR 2.14 per cent increase; green up pointing triangle co-founder Joe Lonsdale, the Winklevoss twins, former US ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft and her husband, Joe Craft, who is chief executive of coal producer Alliance Resource Partners ARLP -0.04 per cent decrease; red down pointing triangle, The Wall Street Journal reported.
America PAC, formed in June, is focused on registering voters and urging constituents to vote early and request mail-in ballots in swing states, according to one of the people.
The coalition assessed that the Democrats have historically had very robust "get out the vote" campaigns and took note of the money that the Biden camp has dedicated to so-called on-the-ground efforts in swing states. America PAC will attempt to counter that.
Currently, Musk is the world's richest person, with an estimated fortune of more than USD 250 billion. The money that Musk has said he plans to give to America PAC is an extraordinary amount, according to The Wall Street Journal report.
While it can be difficult to find the full scope of some political commitment, the largest known donation in the 2024 US presidential election so far is USD 50 million, which has been given by banker Thomas Mellon's great-grandson to a super PAC supporting Trump.
For its efforts, America PAC has hired a number of employees and has been registering voters, holding discussions with constituents in swing states and urging voters to request mail-in ballots, according to some of the people familiar with the matter.
According to a filing made on Monday, America PAC had USD 8.75 million in contributions for the three-month duration, which ended on June 30. Musk had hinted that he planned to begin his donations in July, according to one of the people.
Apart from Lonsdale, the Winklevosses and the Crafts, the filing included a number of other donors to America PAC, including several with close associations with Musk.
Earlier in March, Elon Musk, in a post on X, said that he did not intend to make donations to the campaigns of Trump or US President Joe Biden. However, the Tesla CEO has gotten closer to Donald Trump in recent months, The Wall Street Journal reported.
On Saturday, Musk formally announced support for Trump for US president after a shooter tried to assassinate the former US President at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Trump was on stage at a campaign rally on Saturday when gunshots rang out and Secret Service agents stormed the stage. Hours after the shooting, Trump said that the bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, with the case continuing to be under investigation.
In a post on X, Musk stated, "I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery." In a subsequent post, he stated, "Last time America had a candidate this tough was Theodore Roosevelt."
