How Elon Musk Learned to Love Political Spending Again

At a 2015 Vanity Fair event, Musk said he would “get involved in politics as little as possible,” adding that he spends only a nominal amount for his business interests. Federal Election Commission records show that in 2015, Musk donated $5,000 to Hillary Clinton’s campaign, and another $5,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. 

Since then, he’s continued to court the GOP through financing election efforts. During the 2024 election cycle, he created America PAC, though Musk denied reports at the time that he was donating as much as $45 million a month to boost Trump’s election campaign. He’s also targeted swing-state voters, even saying that he would give out a legally questionable $1 million prize to registered voters in a bid to boost turnout.