&w=1024&resize=1024,0&ssl=1 "US elections: Musk's gift of million strengthens his role as Trump's main donor | world news")
Authors: Bill Allison and Dana Hull
Elon Musk donated $75 million to the political action super committee created earlier this year, making Tesla Inc.'s CEO. and SpaceX was among the political donors because it provided most of the field gaming money to Donald Trump's campaign.
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Musk's super PAC is paying for Trump's voter suppression operations in battleground states in an effort to boost voter turnout in the former president's districts and Republican swing states that could help the GOP win a House majority. America PAC is also spending on digital advertising campaigns, some of which are aimed at young people, to attract them to the polls and reduce Harris' advantage among female voters.
Musk was the only America PAC donor to make seven separate contributions between July 3 and September 5, according to his most recent filing with the Federal Election Commission. The group spent $72 million and started October with $4 million in cash. Most of his spending, $68.5 million, went to support Trump.
The PAC, which advertises on X – Musk's social media platform – offering to pay canvassers up to $30 an hour, says it was created to support candidates who champion issues such as border security, public safety and free speech.
The moves are the latest evidence of how Musk, whose companies boast federal contracts worth billions of dollars and who has personally eschewed government regulation, is expanding his network of political influence to include a potential future president and members of Congress.
Musk, who is worth $241 billion, has made small donations only to federal candidates so far this election season.
Musk has become an increasingly loud voice for Trump, using his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to promote the former president while fueling claims that he blames immigrants for increased violence. Musk's X account includes a link to America PAC, and his X profile says users of the platform should read his posts “to understand that I support Trump for president.”
Trump invited Musk to share the stage with him at the Oct. 5 rally, calling him a “truly amazing guy.” The event was held at the same location in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump was wounded in a failed assassination attempt in July. Musk publicly endorsed Trump that evening at X.
The former president said he would ask Musk to join his administration if he wins a second term, leading an effort to reduce government waste called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE, a reference to the cryptocurrency adopted by Musk).
Deep-pocketed donors have played a key role in supporting Trump, who trails Vice President Kamala Harris in fundraising. According to AdImpact data, its campaign is running in all seven battleground states that will decide the final election after Labor Day. His media buys totaled $314 million compared to $173 million for Trump.
Harris' financial leverage allowed him to open more than 330 field offices with more than 2,000 paid employees who helped conduct voter mobilization efforts. The voting margin is razor-thin — Trump's lead is 0.7 percentage points in truly pure politics in battleground state elections — which could determine campaign spending.
