Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, spent more than $290 million supporting Donald Trump and his MAGA allies on the campaign trail last year.
The staggering figure was revealed after Musk submitted new filings to the Federal Election Commission covering the last five weeks of 2024. Prior filings reported in December had Musk’s total at more than $250 million.
Musk’s latest filings include records showing he put more than $11 million into his America PAC on New Year’s Eve for his “petition incentives.” Musk’s end-of-year contributions were related to the $1 million giveaway for registered voters who signed a petition on his PAC’s website in the final weeks of the presidential race, CNN reports.
While the giveaways faced legal challenges, Musk was ultimately allowed to carry them out. The giveaways cost him more than $50 million, the filings show.
The filings also reveal Musk gave millions to other Republican candidates and handed out $10,000 checks to dozens of state Republican Party committees, according to CNN.
Prior filings for 2024 also showed Musk directed $20.5 million into the RBG PAC, named after Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the late liberal Supreme Court justice. The group, whose sole donor was Musk, defended Trump’s views on abortion and spent a considerable portion of the funds on advertisements and text messages that claimed Trump’s views on abortion were similar to Ginsburg’s.
The organization drew heavy criticism from Ginsburg’s granddaughter, who called it an “affront” to her legacy.
Musk’s donation sum is quite high and rivaled by only a few competing mega-donors, according to CNN. The South African-born entrepreneur is now leading Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, a newly formed advisory department designed to slash federal spending through budget cuts and mass firings.
Musk said his America PAC will “keep grinding” beyond the 2024 presidential election, indicating it may play a big role in the 2026 midterm elections.
Trump also has millions flowing in from other sources. After the election, he converted his campaign account into the leadership PAC Never Surrender. The committee has more than $27 million on hand going into 2025, CNN reports, but owes nearly $11 million to a telemarketing firm.
However, the committee is also owed nearly $5 million from the Secret Service and various news outlets for air travel.
Meanwhile, MAGA Inc., another major pro-Trump PAC, also raised $18.3 million in the year-end period, CNN reports.
