Finally, a First Look at Musk's Donations to Trump

Elon Musk remains the world's richest man, with a net worth of $241 billion at last peek. But he's pumped tens of millions from that pot into reelection efforts for Donald Trump, showing that Musk "has vaulted into the top ranks of Republican donors," per NBC News. According to a Federal Election Commission filing on Tuesday from Musk's America PAC, the super PAC he created to support the former president, Musk gave nearly $15 million to the PAC in July, $30 million in August, and another $30 million in September, for a grand total of almost $75 million in that three-month span. NBC notes that it's "the first public look at Musk's political giving this year after months of speculation." More:

• Party of one: Musk was said to be the only donor to the PAC during that period, per the filing. In June, some of Musk's associates ponied up some cash, including five donations for $1 million each.

• Musk's political evolution: The Los Angeles Times notes that, as recently as 2022, Musk had said that Trump should "hang up his hat [and] sail into the sunset." Over the past couple of years, however, "Musk's disgust with Democrats [became] more pronounced."
• Other support: Musk has also been taking a more public-facing role in his backing of Trump, including appearing at a Trump rally earlier this month, as well as taking control of the long-dormant @America handle on X to push out pro-Trump content, per Axios.
• Problems in political paradise? The Washington Post reports that the super PAC is just part of Musk's blueprint to "trigger a 'red wave' for Trump"—but the paper notes that Musk's "erratic management style has caused problems."
• Billionaires club: CNN takes note of other super-rich donors who've contributed "staggering sums" toward Trump's run, including conservative ally Miriam Adelson, who's given $95 million through another outside group, and Richard Uihlein, a packaging magnate who gave almost $50 million to the conservative Restoration PAC.

(More Elon Musk stories.)