Elon Musk has indicated to Donald Trump’s inner circle that he wants to give $100 million to political groups overseen by the president’s allies, according to a report in The New York Times.
Citing three sources familiar with the matter, the newspaper reported that associates of the White House senior adviser and Trump recently held talks about Musk’s desire to hand over the princely sum.
The two leading pro-Trump groups that could be among the beneficiaries are the super PAC Make America Great Again Inc. and the political nonprofit Securing American Greatness. Both are overseen by Trump ally Taylor Budowich.
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The Times reported it isn’t ultimately clear if these groups would receive the new largesse offered by Musk or if it will go to a new entity that Trump’s people could set up.
During the 2024 presidential election campaign, Musk fashioned himself into Trump’s biggest benefactor by funding his own America PAC, which spent roughly $200 million of the billionaire Tesla CEO’s money to help elect Trump.
The Times reported that it would be unheard of for a White House staffer to make such a significant political contribution to forward the agenda of their boss. Trump tapped Musk as the de facto leader of his Department of Government Efficiency cost cutting task force, which has undertaken dramatic efforts to purge thousands of workers from the federal workforce.
Musk’s donation could be viewed as an effort to shore up support within Trump’s inner sanctum, at a time when some top administration officials have questioned his decision making.
The Times reported the Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy criticized Musk’s DOGE efforts during a Cabinet meeting last week.
Politico reported that, while Trump defended Musk, he also told members of his Cabinet, they had the final say on personnel decisions at their departments.
Trump also demonstrated his support for Musk on Tuesday by holding a press event where he showed off and praised several Tesla vehicles that were brought onto the White House grounds.
On the other hand, Musk’s $100 million offer could also be seen as an extension of his efforts to support wider conservative causes.
Musk continues to fund his own super PAC, which ABC News reported has spent more than $6 million on get-out-the-vote efforts and digital media for a conservative candidate in a Wisconsin Supreme Court election taking place next month.
Another conservative group affiliated with Musk, Building America’s Future, has bought more than $1.6 million in television ads in the Wisconsin race.
While Trump is not eligible for re-election in 2028, his outside groups continue to raise money from from major donors, and Trump this week indicated he could mobilize resources to go after politicians who don’t fall in line with his agenda.
On Tuesday, the president personally threatened to “lead the charge” in an attempt to oust Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), an arch fiscal hawk who declined to support the GOP’s continuing resolution to fund the federal government until September.
Massie cited Musk’s own work at DOGE as the reason he couldn’t back funding the government. Musk has, without offering any credible evidence, claimed government programs are rife with fraud.
The White House did not respond to the Times request for comment, and did not immediately reply to a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
