Elon Musk reportedly made his largest political donation ever in August of $290,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee, amid what seemed like a rather sudden shift to right-wing causes—but the X owner's donations to the GOP apparently stretch back further. That's according to a new Wall Street Journal report that examined Musk's donations history and found he's been "one of the biggest donors to conservative causes" for years. That, "in combination with his large social-media following, makes him one of the most influential figures in US politics," the Journal notes.
- In 2022: Right before the midterms, Musk forked over more than $50 million to a group called Citizens for Sanity, which is managed by employees of a nonprofit legal group run by Stephen Miller, the far-right political adviser who served as an aide to former President Trump.
- In 2023: Musk made a $10 million gift to supporters of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a good portion of which ended up in a pro-DeSantis PAC.
- Hiding the trail: The Journal notes that "Republican consultants and lawyers helped keep Musk's fingerprints off the transactions," mainly by having him send his donations via an LLC to so-called dark-money groups that don't have to disclose who their donors are.
- History: Musk insists he's mainly voted blue until fairly recently, and Forbes notes some of the Democrats he's financially supported in the past, including Rep. Adam Schiff, the late Sen. Harry Reid, and PACs supporting then-candidates Barack Obama (2012) and Hillary Clinton (2015). But Musk has also given to Republicans including Sens. Marco Rubio and Susan Collins, and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who received about $100,000 from Musk between 2011 and 2017.
- Factors: What's driving Musk's more recent (and public) turn to the right isn't public, but the Journal notes that sources "close to Musk said his estrangement from his [transgender] daughter, which he blames on 'woke' indoctrination, led to his political awakening as a Republican."
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