Elon Musk donates 'SIZABLE' amount to PAC supporting Donald Trump
- It is not clear how much Musk donated but a source said it was 'a sizable amount'
Elon Musk, who has been ramping up criticism of Joe Biden, has donated to a political group working to elect rival presidential candidate Donald Trump.
It is not clear how much Musk donated but a source said it was 'a sizable amount' given to a group called America PAC.
Bloomberg reported that the PAC - a group that can receive unlimited contributions for political activity - is next required to disclose its list of donors on July 15.
In March, Trump met with Musk and other wealthy donors and caused such a fuss that Musk made a claim on social media afterward.
'Just to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for US President,' he said on March 6.
Elon Musk, who has been ramping up criticism of Joe Biden, has donated to a political group working to elect rival presidential candidate Donald Trump
In May, he also denied media reports that there had been talks over a potential advisory role for him in any Trump presidency.
Musk has yet to make any offficial comments on the donation.
Biden campaign spokesman James Singer said that Musk knows Trump is 'a sucker who will sell America out, cutting his taxes while raising taxes on the middle class by $2,500.'
'Joe Biden has been standing up to people like Elon and fighting for the middle class his entire career - and it´s why he´ll win in November,' Singer said in a statement.
Unlike other billionaires, Musk has not spent heavily on political donations but has previously given to both the Republicans and Democrats.
Musk personally has provided funding to politicians including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Marco Rubio, George W. Bush and John Kerry.
His companies Tesla and SpaceX, have benefited from federal government contracts and subsidies.
However, in recent years, Musk has seemingly leaned more towards the GOP.
In March, Trump met with Musk and other wealthy donors and caused such a fuss that Musk made a claim on social media afterward . 'Just to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for US President,' he said on March 6
This may be in part due to a snub by the Biden administration in 2021 after they failed to invite Tesla to a summit on electric vehicles.
'Let's not forget the White House giving Tesla the cold shoulder, excluding us from the EV summit,' Musk wrote in December, more than two years after the sleight.
The following year he encouraged his followers on X, formerly Twitter, to vote in a Republican Congress ahead of the midterms.
After Musk purchased the social media platform Twitter in 2022, he reinstated Trump's account after it was suspended in the wake of January 6.
Musk has generally railed against left-leaning 'woke' policies and has repeated right wing rhetoric on immigration.
'America will fall if it tries to absorb the world,' Mr. Musk posted on X on Tuesday.
He also suggested that Democrats are 'ushering in vast numbers of illegals' to commit voter fraud, despite no evidence to support this.
Early in the Republican primary season, Musk gave signs he backed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
In recent years, Musk has seemingly leaned more towards the GOP. This may be in part due to a snub by the Biden administration in 2021 after they failed to invite Tesla to a summit on electric vehicles
DeSantis kicked off his campaign with a live streamed interview with the billionaire, however this did not materialize into a donation.
Trump last month reiterated his pledge to immediately abandon the Biden administration's 'mandate' to support the electric vehicle industry. But he added: 'I'm a big fan of electric cars. I'm a fan of Elon.'
'He does an incredible job with Tesla.'
Musk said they had 'some conversations' and Trump is a 'huge fan of the Cybertrucks,' referring to Tesla's electric pickup trucks.
While he has publicly criticized Biden's policies on immigration and electric vehicles and even his age, Musk has not made any formal endorsement in November's contest and Trump has said he did not know if he has Musk's support.
Musk's views have hurt his standing among some consumers, according to a CivicScience survey shown exclusively to Reuters.
