Elon Musk loaded $75 million into his pro-Trump super PAC in 3 months

Elon Musk has personally contributed at least $75 million to his pro-Trump America PAC since July as he pushes for the former president to return to the White House, according to campaign finance records filed Tuesday.

Musk has publicly backed former President Trump for months, with his enthusiasm epitomized during a recent Pennsylvania rally with an onstage leap that launched countless memes.

Since the billionaire founded America PAC earlier this year, the super PAC has launched envelope-pushing voter outreach initiatives in battleground states and reportedly hired hundreds of employees.

Since June, the super PAC poured more than $102.2 million into the 2024 presidential race, with tens of millions of dollars spent backing Trump and attacking Vice President Harris. America PAC also spent nearly $8.9 million of that total opposing President Biden before he dropped out of the race in mid-July, according to the money-in-politics trackers at OpenSecrets.

The super PAC became the seventh-biggest outside spender of the 2024 election cycle in a matter of months, according to an OpenSecrets tally. Other top 10 spenders include the primary pro-Harris super PAC, Future Forward USA; the primary pro-Trump super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc.; the Koch-affiliated Americans for Prosperity; the cryptocurrency industry’s Fairshake PAC; and super PACs aligned with Republican and Democratic Senate leadership.

Earlier records showed that America PAC had raked in millions of dollars from Musk’s close allies, including Palantir Technologies co-founder Joe Lonsdale, Sequoia Capital partners Doug Leone and Shaun Maguire, and crypto investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. 

While the tech mogul had reportedly pledged $45 million per month to support Trump, he later said his giving would be “at a much lower level.” But exactly how much of his own money Musk poured into the super PAC has been a mystery — until now. 

Musk made three contributions to America PAC totaling $15 million in July, three contributions totaling $30 million in July and a $30 million contribution in September, according to a third-quarter report filed Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission.

No other contributors were disclosed during that period.

This is the first report the super PAC has been required to file since mid-July, with another disclosure due Oct. 24, covering the first 16 days of this month.

Musk has been an active pro-Trump megaphone on his social platform X, and America PAC has played a key role in the Trump campaign’s ground game in swing states. 

In recent weeks, America PAC has offered $47 for each swing state voter that individuals get to sign a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments, in an apparent effort to identify potential Trump voters in the key battleground states.

The super PAC’s early efforts to register voters in battleground states sparked investigations by the North Carolina State Board of Elections and the Michigan secretary of state’s office. The investigations stemmed from a CNBC report that alleged individuals in certain states who visited America PAC’s “register to vote” page were asked to submit personal information but ultimately not directed to a site where they could register to vote in their state.

A source familiar with the PAC’s efforts previously told The Hill that it believes it is in full compliance with the law. The source said the information provided by swing state voters on the website was being used to fill in voter registration forms that were going to be mailed to prospective voters for signing.

Musk has recently turned his focus to Pennsylvania, which he reportedly believes is the key to Trump’s victory.

Since the meme-making rally in Butler, Pa., earlier this month, Musk has said he plans to make more appearances in the battleground state in the final stretch of the election. He has also moved his operations base to Pennsylvania and is talking to the former president multiple times weekly, The New York Times reported last Friday.

Trump recently applauded Musk’s efforts, calling him “fantastic” at a rally in Scranton earlier this month. 

“He’s going to do a lot. He’s going to be involved,” Trump said. “You know, he’s in Pennsylvania now campaigning, Elon Musk, because he feels so strongly.”