Get to know America PAC, the group created by Elon Musk to revolutionize the presidential election

To the world's richest man, this presidential election matters, and a lot: "[It will] decide the fate of America... the fate of the West." So said Elon Musk at a recent event in Pennsylvania, on one of the stops of his tour of the swing state. "You show what matters by your actions, not your words," he said, too, to applause from the audience. That's why, he added, "I'm here in Pennsylvania." Musk is practicing what he preaches, which is why he formalized his support at the influential America PAC (which, among many other actions, organized the aforementioned event).

The owner of Tesla, SpaceX and X announced in June that he had created his own political action committee. This, he explained in conversation with Tucker Carlson, would advocate "obvious centrist positions."

"We want safe cities, secure borders, sensible spending -- tell me where I'm going far right here. We want to have the right to self protection, we should respect the Constitution and not try to break the Constitution (it's there for a reason), and we should stop lawfare."

A million-dollar donation every day, and other PAC initiatives

Although Musk maintains that his PAC advocates traditional positions, its methods are far from it. "EARN $1,000,000!" reads a petition from the group "in Favor of Free Speech and the Right to Bear Arms." Until Nov. 5, it promises, it will raffle $1 million to randomly selected voters in swing states who sign the petition.

The eye-catching proposal was met with backlash by Democrats like Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who questioned its legality. The Justice Department even warned Musk that the giveaway could be in violation of electoral law (nothing said, apparently, about the PAC also offering $47 for referring someone to sign the petition). Beyond the Democrats' anger, the political action committee appears to have reached its goal of surpassing 1 million signatures.

America PAC also undertakes classic campaign actions, such as paid advertising (at least $3 million in Facebook ads and more than $190,000 on X, according to various reports), and door-to-door canvassing. To cover these field operations, it offers wages of at least $30 an hour. But how does it fund these proposals?

Following the money

The latest data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) show that Elon Musk has donated $75 million to Trump's campaign in three months. In June, he donated $15 million, and in August and in September he gave $30 million each.

In addition to the businessman, Trump has the backing of important technology entrepreneurs, such as Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, former Tesla executive Antonio Gracias and PayPal co-founder Ken Howery.

The committee is quick to spend: the latest data uploaded to the FEC's website show that it raised about $79 million and spent about $83 million (it would thus be the fourth-highest-earning pro-Trump PAC). It also donated to different local congressional races, such as Maine's Second District ($600,200, according to Business Insider) and Ohio's Ninth District ($642,500).

The faces behind America PAC

Lonsdale was instrumental in the PAC's first weeks, The Wall Street Journal reported. Not only did he donate $1 million through a company, but he enticed other business leaders to back the group.

The PAC is backed by Chris Gober, also founder of the Vantage law firm. Gober, described as a campaign finance expert, says on X account that he is a lawyer for America PAC. According to political finance encyclopedia InfluenceWatch, the lawyer worked as counsel to the National Republican Senatorial Committee and deputy counsel to the Republican National Committee, in addition to serving as counsel at the DOJ.

Generra Peck and Phil Cox are other key names. With extensive political experience, both were working behind the scenes with the group, according to The New York Times. The same report also mentioned Dave Rexrode, founder of Bluestone Strategies and Consulting Group.

Musk, Musk, Musk

Despite the super PAC being littered with influential names, none overshadows Musk. The newly born group went from the shadows to the public eye when he decided to publicly endorse it, further advancing his tilt toward Republicans and, above all, Trump.

Musk's relationship with the GOP, and especially its presidential candidate, has been robust this election cycle, even including discussions of a possible role for the entrepreneur in a second Trump administration.

The former Democratic voter began trending toward the GOP at least four years ago, even endorsing Republicans in the 2022 midterm election. He gradually moved away from the Democratic Party, until appearing alongside Trump at his historic second rally in Butler, Pa., wearing a black cap, exclaiming "I am not just MAGA, I'm 'Dark MAGA.'"