Elon Musk has said: "I’m going to be funding moderate candidates in heavily Democrat districts, so that the country can get rid of those who don’t represent them"

Elon Musk spent over $250 million to support President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican candidates, according to campaign finance records filed Thursday. This makes Musk, the world’s wealthiest individual, the largest donor of the 2024 election cycle for either party, as confirmed by Federal Election Commission filings.

The majority of Musk’s contributions were funneled through his own America PAC, which received $239 million. Additionally, records reveal Musk funded a political action committee named after the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg—"RBG PAC"—to run advertisements that misleadingly suggested Ginsburg's views on abortion aligned with Trump’s.

Clara Spera, Ginsburg’s granddaughter, condemned the PAC, telling The New York Times in October that its use of her grandmother’s name was "an affront to her legacy." Ginsburg had been a vocal supporter of abortion rights, while Trump appointed three conservative justices to the Supreme Court who contributed to overturning the federal right to abortion. Musk contributed $20.5 million to RBG PAC, its sole funding source. The PAC ran ads highlighting Trump’s opposition to a national abortion ban and referencing Ginsburg’s critique of Roe v. Wade’s legal reasoning.

Musk also donated $10 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, which backs Republican Senate candidates, and $3 million to the MAHA Alliance PAC, affiliated with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative.

Through America PAC, Musk and other donors financed extensive voter outreach efforts, including door-knocking campaigns, text messaging, phone calls, mailers, and advertisements. The PAC’s largest expense was a $40.5 million payment to United States of America, Inc., a recently registered company with ties to Musk. The purpose of these funds remains unclear.

In October, Musk promised to give away $1 million daily to registered voters in Pennsylvania who signed his petition. Though challenged in court, the sweepstakes were allowed to proceed. Musk’s legal team stated winners were chosen based on personal stories rather than random selection, and participants signed contracts to serve as spokespeople for America PAC. Musk now faces multiple lawsuits from participants claiming the event was falsely marketed as a lottery.

Musk’s rise as a political donor was swift. In March, he posted on X (formerly Twitter), the platform he owns, that he would not support either presidential candidate. Yet, by July 3, he contributed $5 million to America PAC, endorsing Trump 10 days later. Musk quickly became a central figure in Trump’s campaign.

At a Pennsylvania rally on October 20, Musk urged voters to prioritize the 2024 election. “This is the most important election in your lifetime,” he said. “If there’s any election where you ever vote, it should be this one.”

Following Trump’s victory, Musk was named to lead a new initiative called the Department of Government Efficiency alongside former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The department’s goal is to cut $500 billion in annual federal spending and streamline government operations.