Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has donated $10 million to support the Republican Party’s efforts to maintain control of Congress. This occurs as he is publicly feuding with former President Donald Trump and other Republicans, following a significant falling out. Musk’s contributions came as he publicly criticized Republicans for voting for the megabill, which he argued would increase the deficit. Despite this, Musk donated $5 million each to the Congressional Leadership Fund and the Senate Leadership Fund on June 27, as per filings with the Federal Election Commission.
He had previously spent $290 million of his own money to boost Trump and other Republicans last year. However, Musk’s recent actions reflect a shift in his political stance, as he announced plans to start his own political party in July. This decision came after a harsh public fight with Trump in June concerning the push to pass the president’s signature budget bill, resulting in Musk breaking with the president and later the GOP.
Musk’s donations to CLF and SLF made him the largest known individual donor to the main House and Senate GOP super PACs this year. However, the contributions represent only a fraction of the funds both groups raised, with Congressional Leadership Fund bringing in $32.7 million in the first half of the year, compared to the $26.4 million raised by the Senate Leadership Fund.
Additionally, Musk poured another $45 million into his super PAC, America PAC, this spring, primarily spending on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race in April. His efforts included $27 million for petition incentives, $12.7 million on campaigning related to the race, and three controversial $1 million payments to spokespeople for signing his petition against “activist judges.” Musk’s preferred candidate in that race, conservative Brad Schimel, lost by a significant margin, indicating potential challenges in his political influence.
Recently, Musk has stated his intention to create his own political party, the America Party, but there’s currently no insight into what this effort might entail. The FEC filings, which cover only through the end of June, do not provide further details on the party’s structure or objectives. The donations and political moves by Musk have sparked discussions about his influence in the political arena and the implications for the Republican Party’s future strategy.