DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A week after Donald Trump’s victory, Elon Musk said his political committee “will play an important role in the primaries.”
The following week, the billionaire responded to a report that he may donate money to opponents of GOP House members who do not support Trump’s nominees. “What is it again?” There is no other way,” Musk wrote on X, which he changed after buying Twitter and moving to amplify voices, including his own.
And during his recent visit to Capitol Hill, Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy issued a warning to Republicans who don’t go along with their plan to cut spending as part of Trump’s Department of Public Works.
Reliable and interesting news every day, in your inbox
See for yourself – The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and interesting stories.
“Elon and Vivek talked about having a bad list and a good list of members of Congress and senators and how we vote and how we spend the money of the American people,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
Mr. Trump’s second term comes with the ambition of the world’s richest man working as a political representative. In Mr. Trump’s team, there is a feeling that Musk not only supports Trump’s plan and the appointment of the Cabinet, but wants to see him go as far as to pressure Republicans who may not be committed.
One Trump adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss political content, said Musk had come to enjoy his work on the campaign and that he had the resources to stay involved.
The consultant and others noted that Musk’s role is still taking shape. And Musk, a former supporter of President Barack Obama before moving to the right in recent years, is famously mercurial.
“I think he was very important in this election. Buying Twitter, making it a forum for free speech, I think, was important to this election, to the victory that Donald Trump had,” he said leaving Republican National Committee chairwoman Lara Trump, the president-elect’s daughter-in-law. “But I don’t know that he’s going to want to do politics. .”
During the presidential campaign, Musk gave nearly $200 million to America PAC, a super PAC focused on reaching Trump voters online and in person in seven competitive states, which Trump swept. He also put $20 million into a group called RBG PAC, which ran ads saying that Trump would not sign the abortion bill even though the former president nominated three judges who overturned federal rights.
Musk’s donation to RBG PAC — a name that invokes the writings of former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a supporter of abortion rights — was not disclosed until post-election campaign letters were made public Thursday.
Musk said he hopes to keep America PAC money up and running. Beyond that, he used his X megaphone to signal that he might be open to challenging Trump’s less-than-happy supporters in Congress.
Another important part of Trump’s campaign has become more aggressive online. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk, whose group Turning Point Action also worked to vote for Mr. Trump, named the Republican senators he wants to target.
“This is no joke, everyone. The money is already included. Donors are calling like crazy. The primaries will begin,” Kirk said on his podcast, singling out Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa, Jim Risch of Idaho, Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Thom Tillis of North Carolina as potential targets. All Republican senatorial seats until 2026.
For now, Musk has been basking in the glow of his latest victory, joining Trump for high-profile meetings and parties at the president’s upcoming Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida. The incoming administration was planted by Musk’s representatives, including venture capitalist and former head of PayPal David Sacks who serves as the “White House AI & Crypto Czar” and Jared Isaacman, a technology billionaire who bought a series of astronauts from Musk’s SpaceX, was named to lead NASA. .
Musk could help strengthen Trump’s agenda quickly, some GOP strategists said, by using America PAC to pressure key Republicans. Accordingly, Musk could begin targeting moderate Democrats in key states and districts this spring, urging them to break with their party on key issues, said Republican Strategist Chris Pack.
“Instead of using his power to twist the hands of the GOP if he has a majority in both houses, he can start going after Democrats who vote against Trump’s agenda in states that had Trump’s referendum,” said Pack, a former director of National. Republican Senatorial Committee. “Otherwise, if you force the Republicans through the primary, you could end up with a Republican who can’t win, and then a Democrat in that seat.”
___
Linderman reported from Baltimore and Mendoza from Santa Cruz, California. Associated Press congressional reporter Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.