By THOMAS BEAUMONT, JULIET LINDERMAN and MARTHA MENDOZA
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Per week after President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, Elon Musk mentioned his political motion committee would “play a significant role in primaries.”
The next week, the billionaire responded to a report that he may fund challengers to GOP Home members who don’t assist Trump’s nominees. “How else? There is no other way,” Musk wrote on X, which he rebranded after buying Twitter and transferring to spice up conservative voices, together with his personal.
And through his current go to to Capitol Hill, Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy delivered a warning to Republicans who don’t associate with their plans to slash spending as a part of Trump’s proposed Division of Authorities Effectivity.
“Elon and Vivek talked about having a naughty list and a nice list for members of Congress and senators and how we vote and how we’re spending the American people’s money,” mentioned Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
Trump’s second time period comes with the specter of the world’s richest man serving as his political enforcer. Inside Trump’s crew, there’s a feeling that Musk not solely helps Trump’s agenda and Cupboard appointments, however is intent on seeing them via to the purpose of pressuring Republicans who could also be much less religious.
One Trump adviser, talking on situation of anonymity to debate inside political dynamics, famous Musk had come to take pleasure in his position on the marketing campaign and that he clearly had the sources to remain concerned.
The adviser and others famous that Musk’s position continues to be taking form. And Musk, as soon as a supporter of President Barack Obama earlier than transferring to the best lately, is famously mercurial.
“I think he was really important for this election. Purchasing Twitter, truly making it a free speech platform, I think, was integral to this election, to the win that Donald Trump had,” mentioned departing Republican Nationwide Committee co-chair Lara Trump, the president-elect’s daughter-in-law. “But I don’t know that ultimately he wants to be in politics. I think he considers himself to be someone on the outside.”
In the course of the presidential marketing campaign, Musk contributed roughly $200 million to America PAC, a brilliant PAC aimed toward reaching Trump voters on-line and in individual within the seven best states, which Trump swept. He additionally invested $20 million in a bunch known as RBG PAC, which ran adverts arguing Trump wouldn’t signal a nationwide abortion ban at the same time as the previous president nominated three of the justices who overturned a federally assured proper to the process.
Musk’s donation to RBG PAC — a reputation that invokes the initials of former Supreme Court docket Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a champion of abortion rights — wasn’t revealed till post-election marketing campaign filings had been made public Thursday.
Musk has mentioned he hopes to maintain America PAC funded and working. Past that, he has used his X megaphone to recommend he’s at the least open to difficult much less exuberant Trump supporters in Congress.
One other key Trump marketing campaign ally has been extra aggressive on-line. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk, whose group Turning Level Motion additionally labored to end up voters for Trump, named Republican senators he desires to focus on.
“This is not a joke, everybody. The funding is already being put together. Donors are calling like crazy. Primaries are going to be launched,” Kirk mentioned 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 4 Republican senators’ seats are up in 2026.
For now, Musk has been having fun with the glow of his newest conquest, becoming a member of Trump for high-level conferences and galas on the soon-to-be president’s Mar-a-Lago resort dwelling in Palm Seashore, Florida. The incoming administration is seeded with Musk allies, together with enterprise capitalist and former PayPal government David Sacks serving because the “White House A.I. & Crypto Czar” and Jared Isaacman, a tech billionaire who purchased a collection of spaceflights from Musk’s SpaceX, named to steer NASA.
Musk may assist reinforce Trump’s agenda instantly, some GOP strategists mentioned, through the use of America PAC to strain key Republicans. Likewise, Musk may start focusing on average Democrats in pivotal states and districts this spring, urging them to interrupt with their celebration on key points, Republican strategist Chris Pack mentioned.
“Instead of using his influence to twist GOP arms when you have majorities in both houses, he could start going after Democrats who vote against Trump’s agenda in states where the election was a referendum for Trump,” mentioned Pack, former communications director for the Nationwide Republican Senatorial Committee. “Otherwise, if you pressure Republicans with a primary, you can 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. Related Press congressional correspondent Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.
Initially Revealed: December 10, 2024 at 8:18 AM PST
