Elon Musk is planning a massive political spending push to try to help Republicans prevail in the November midterms despite President Donald Trump’s record-low approval ratings.
The former “First Buddy” was the president’s biggest donor during the 2024 election cycle, with his America PAC pouring more than $260 million into Trump’s re-election effort.
The Tesla chief was rewarded with a powerful White House position as head of the nebulous task force DOGE, but after an explosive falling-out with Trump last year, he said he was pulling back on political spending.
Those threats appear to have been short-lived, according to a new report from Axios.
The world’s richest man is reviving his dormant super PAC, which will invest heavily in door-knocking, digital advertising, and direct mail aimed at energizing conservative voters who are less likely to cast ballots in off years, sources told the outlet.
Polls have shown a worrying lack of enthusiasm among reliable GOP voters, with Trump underwater on key issues including the flailing economy and his deeply unpopular war on Iran.
Musk’s representatives declined to say how much he plans to spend, but given his previous donations, it’s fair to expect a windfall for Republicans, according to Axios.
Republican super PACS and committees already hold a $300 million cash advantage over their Democratic counterparts, and Musk’s 2024 donations through America PAC made him the largest individual political donor in a single cycle in U.S. history, the outlet reported.
James Blair, Trump’s senior political adviser, told Axios that America PAC was an “essential partner for our historic GOTV operation in 2024, and their return for 2026 is a huge boost for Republicans across the country.”
America PAC spokesperson Andrew Romeo told the outlet that Trump and the GOP apparatus had “put Republicans in a strong position to buck history and retain control of Congress this fall.”
The Daily Beast has also reached out for comment.
Musk’s political brand became toxic early last year when he was leading DOGE, the executive branch’s “Department” of Government Efficiency that tried to unilaterally cancel government grants and contracts, dismantle government agencies, and purge the federal workforce.
Despite Musk pouring a record $21 million into a normally low-profile, non-partisan Wisconsin state Supreme Court race in April 2025, liberal appellate Judge Susan Crawford beat his preferred candidate, Brad Schimel, by 10 points.
After Schimel’s loss, Musk said he would spend far less on political campaigns.
He also said he had “done enough” political spending right around the time of his shockingly public—and personal—break from Trump last summer over the Republicans’ “big beautiful” spending bill.
