Billionaire Elon Musk poured greater than $20 million right into a mysterious tremendous PAC on the finish of the 2024 marketing campaign, a part of greater than $250 million he spent total to spice up President-elect Donald Trump, new marketing campaign finance experiences present.
Musk financed RBG PAC, in accordance with the group’s report filed Thursday night time with the Federal Election Commission. The tremendous PAC, which didn’t disclose its donors earlier than the election, launched ads contending that Trump didn’t assist a federal abortion ban.
All of the cash the group pulled in — $20.5 million — got here from a single donation from the “Elon Musk Revocable Trust” positioned in Austin, Texas. RBG PAC spent nearly all of its funds on digital adverts, mailers and textual content messages, in accordance with the marketing campaign finance report, which coated Oct. 17 by means of Nov. 25.
The group’s website states that Trump and the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg agree on the abortion difficulty, drawing criticism from Ginsburg’s granddaughter Clara Spara, who told the New York Times that the message was “nothing in need of appalling.”
Trump took credit score for the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, a call that got here after three Trump-appointed justices voted with the bulk to overturn the nationwide proper to an abortion. (One of these justices, Amy Coney Barrett, was appointed to exchange Ginsburg weeks earlier than the 2020 election, after Ginsburg died in mid-September.) As president, he supported a federal ban on abortion after 20 weeks.
But throughout this marketing campaign, Trump backed away from that position and as a substitute declared he supported states’ rights to decide abortion laws. Democrats nonetheless hit Trump onerous on these previous positions to argue that if elected, he and a Republican Congress would act to limit abortion nationwide.
The late advert blitz from RBG PAC solely represents a fraction of Musk’s whole election spending this 12 months: He additionally financed America PAC, a brilliant PAC which reported spending $157 million supporting Trump within the presidential race.
America PAC’s newest marketing campaign finance report confirmed Musk donated $238 million to the group all through the election cycle, together with $120 million within the last weeks of the race alone.
Federal disclosures present America PAC spent closely on canvassing, textual content message-based get-out-the-vote efforts, printing and postage (doubtless for unsolicited mail) and digital promoting too. It additionally ran a controversial money giveaway that gave out $1 million each day to someone who signed the group’s conservative-leaning petition.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner sued Musk and America PAC in late October making an attempt to halt the giveaway, however a judge in the state didn’t agree to stop the program. The Justice Department additionally warned the PAC across the similar time that the giveaway may be unlawful, however it’s taken no public motion on it.
America PAC’s marketing campaign finance report lists every of these $1 million prizes as funds for a “spokesperson guide.”
Musk additionally gave $3 million to the MAHA Alliance, a brilliant PAC affiliated with Robert F. Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” push, in late October.
It’s potential that Musk donated extra to pro-Trump efforts too, as political committees proceed to file fundraising experiences pegged to Thursday night time’s deadline.
The Space X and Tesla founder is one among Trump’s top donors this cycle, however he is additionally been amongst his most seen. He’s been a daily presence at Mar-a-Lago and by Trump’s facet through the transition (to the consternation of some in Trump’s orbit).
Trump tapped Musk to advise him on reducing spending throughout the federal authorities because the co-chair of his “Department of Government Efficiency” initiative.
