Elon Musk pushes back on reports that he's donating $45M a month to super PAC backing Trump
Billionaire Elon Musk is denying reports that said he is donating $45 million a month to a super PAC supporting former President Trump each month leading up to the November election.
"What's been reported in the media is simply not true," Musk said in an interview with conservative commentator Jordan Peterson. "I am not donating $45 million a month to Trump."
This comes after The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk was planning to donate $45 million a month to America PAC, which focuses on registering voters and urging swing state residents to vote early and request mail-in ballots as a way to counter Democrats' "get out the vote" campaigns and on-the-ground efforts.
Trump, in an apparent reference to the report, said at a campaign rally on Saturday that he read Musk was giving him $45 million a month. "He didn't even tell me about it," Trump said.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO followed up on his comments by saying on Tuesday that he does plan to make donations to America PAC but at a "much lower level."
"I am making some donations to America PAC, but at a much lower level and the key values of the PAC are supporting a meritocracy & individual freedom," he wrote on the social media platform X. "Republicans are mostly, but not entirely, on the side of merit & freedom."
Musk said he helped create America PAC, which he said would support Trump but "is not supposed to be a sort of hyperpartisan."
"It's actually the core principles this America PAC are, the intent is to promote the principles that made America great in the first place," he told Peterson. "I wouldn't say that I’m, for example, MAGA, or Make America Great Again. I think America is great. I'm more M-A-G, Make America Greater."
The commitment to making political donations supporting Trump comes despite Musk saying in March that he did not plan to donate to the Trump or Biden campaigns, although Biden has since dropped out of the race and Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to be the Democratic nominee.
Musk endorsed Trump following the assassination attempt against the former president at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month.
"I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery," Musk wrote on X following the shooting on July 13.
In the interview with Peterson, Musk said he was drawn to Trump because he believed the Republican Party was more in line with his stance on issues such as meritocracy and freedom.
"One of those values being meritocracy, as much meritocracy as possible, so you get ahead as a function of your skill, and nothing else," Musk said.
He said that he does not follow any "cult of personality" around Trump, but that he believes the former president displayed "great courage" after surviving the assassination attempt.
"I think we need a change in administration," Musk said.
Musk and Trump have been talking on a more frequent basis in recent months and have become friendly, according to The Wall Street Journal, which also noted that Trump had knowledge of a project Musk was helping organize to prevent voter fraud.
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The tech executive has appeared more favorable toward Trump than Democrats on X, often criticizing the Biden administration while expressing support for the former president.
"About 3 weeks ago, the media told you that Biden was 'sharp as a tack,'" Musk wrote Tuesday on X followed by an eye roll emoji.
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"2 days ago, the poor guy was basically forced at gunpoint to resign as Dem nominee. His staff weren't even informed. Now they say Kamala is the best thing ever," he wrote, accompanied by a facepalm emoji.
Musk also donated $100,000 to a GoFundMe page authorized by Trump to help the victims of the campaign rally shooting and their families. One rally attendee was killed protecting his wife and daughter from gunfire, while two other spectators were injured.