How Elon Musk is working to save Trump’s final two years in office

Nearly a year after Elon Musk feuded with President Donald Trump and suggested he might pull back from politics, the world’s richest man is back to building a Texas-based political action committee to boost Republican turnout in the midterm elections.

Musk and another political action committee he is connected to poured nearly $1 million of in-kind donations into America PAC last month. He founded the Austin-based political action committee in 2024, which set campaign finance records by spending over $260 million to help Trump regain the White House and Republicans win control of Congress.

Musk and his other PAC, United States of America Inc., which lists its address as an Austin mailbox near the University of Texas, have now donated more than $3 million to America PAC. On Wednesday, Axios reported the money would be used for door-knocking, digital advertising and direct mail aimed at turning out the conservative base.

“The president’s political team and the rest of the GOP apparatus have built a top-notch operation that will put Republicans in a strong position to buck history and retain control of Congress this fall, and we’re excited to again be part of the team,” America PAC spokesperson Andrew Romeo said.

The ramping up of political activity comes as Musk has expressed regret for getting too consumed with politics.

In a podcast interview with The Economist released last week, Musk said he “got a little too involved in politics” last year. After helping Trump win in 2024, Musk took a high-profile role in cutting spending by slashing federal agencies through what the Trump administration called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. But his role in the government created blowback from his customers, particularly for Tesla, which experienced a drop in its stock price and sales.

Neither Musk nor America PAC have said where they will spend money to boost turnout, but key Texas congressional races could be important to Musk and his Texas-based companies.

SpaceX is based in Cameron County, where U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, a Democrat, is being challenged by Republican Eric Flores in one of the areas that was a focus of the White House’s redistricting efforts last year. Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law the new congressional map that was intended to make it easier for a Republican to defeat Gonzalez this year.

Musk’s reemergence in politics comes a year after he and Trump had a high-profile falling out in which Trump called him crazy and suggested SpaceX’s contracts with the government should be reviewed after Musk publicly blasted Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” But the two seem to have patched up their differences, with Trump bringing Musk on an official trip to China in May.

They’ll need that financial edge if they want to defy history. ​

Since 1972, Republican presidents have, on average, lost 22 seats in the U.S. House during midterm elections. If Democrats pick up anywhere close to that much, they would retake the majority in the U.S. House. That would not only halt Trump’s agenda in the House, but allow Democrats to hold hearings and investigate the White House over the final two years of Trump’s term.