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Elon Musk Teamed Up With Trump Before His Reelection: A Review

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Elon Musk Teamed Up With Trump Before His Reelection: A Review

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During the final stages of the campaign, Donald Trump and Elon Musk formed a close partnership that appears to be growing even stronger now that the former president is officially returning to the White House.

While both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris had their share of billionaire supporters, perhaps none of them wooed the public as much as Musk.

For weeks, Musk has been offering controversial $1 million a day gifts to voters in swing states to drum up support for the Republican candidate. Trump, for his part, has publicly offered billionaire Musk a leadership position in his administration and is leading a government effectiveness commission that he would create if he wins re-election.

Add to that the support the tech titan has provided both in person and virtually, attending campaign events and using his social media platform X to regularly spread conservative messages.

And now that Trump has emerged victorious over Vice President Kamala Harris, his connection to Musk is sure to attract more attention as he begins to set his agenda and staff his Cabinet.

Here's what you should know about the budding relationship between two of America's most powerful figures.

Presidential election: Donald Trump wins the election in a stunning political comeback

Musk supports Trump after assassination attempt

Musk, who had long been critical of the left and its perception of a “woke mind virus,” did not make his support for Trump official until July 13, when the former president was shot in an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.

That same month, Musk denied a Wall Street Journal report that he had pledged $45 million a month to a new super-political action committee to support Trump's presidential run. The rejection came after Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk previously said in March that he would not donate to either the Democratic or Republican presidential campaigns.

According to Fortune, Musk has since donated an estimated $132 million to Trump and other Republicans in the 2024 election, accounting for more than a third of their total donations.

Trump offers Musk leadership role

In September, Trump announced in a public speech his intention to create a government efficiency commission headed by Musk.

While he didn't provide details on how such a commission would work, he not only stated that it would develop a plan to eliminate “fraud and improper payments” within six months of its formation, but said Musk was ready declares that he will take over the leadership of the committee.

Musk said in an August 19 podcast that he had had discussions with the former president about the matter and that he was interested in becoming involved in the matter. He also responded to the suggestion

Musk promotes Trump online and at rallies

From then on, the two appeared together at a series of public events, starting on August 12 with a two-hour interview streamed live on X.

Wearing darkened versions of Trump's signature “Make America Great Again” hats, Musk then appeared with Trump at a campaign stop in Butler Pennsylvania on October 5 and again at Madison Square Garden in New York City on October 27. Musk was one of several high-profile speakers at the recent event in deep blue New York City, which offered more entertainment than the typical rally.

Musk offers $1 million in freebies

Musk also faced some resistance after he announced on Oct. 19 his intention to give away $1 million every day until the election to someone who signed an online petition seeking signatures from registered voters in swing states receive.

Musk later stopped issuing the checks in late October because the move raised legal questions under federal election law and prompted a warning from the Justice Department that the payments may be illegal. The giveaway also drew an objection from the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, which was later rejected by a judge.

Contributors: Sam Woodward, Josh Meyer, Zac Anderson, USA TODAY; Reuters

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and breaking news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]

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