Despite a bombshell report and a shout-out of gratitude from Donald Trump, Elon Musk has broken the news that he is not donating $45 million monthly to a Super PAC backing Trump’s campaign.
In an interview with Jordan Peterson published Monday, Musk denied a Wall Street Journal report from last week that alleged the billionaire had agreed to make the mega-donations to America PAC after publicly endorsing Trump in the 2024 election.
My conversation with @elonmusk. Live today at 3pm ET. https://t.co/RyaZFmvC8i
— Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) July 22, 2024
“What’s been reported in the media is simply not true,” Musk told Peterson. “I am not donating $45 million a month to Trump.”
Related: WSJ Report Claims Elon Musk Is Donating $45 Million a Month to Pro-Trump Super PAC
Musk clarified his comments on X on Wednesday, admitting that though he was donating money to the conservative-backed Super PAC, the original claims are “ridiculous” in nature.
Yeah, it’s ridiculous.
I am making some donations to America PAC, but at a much lower level and the key values of the PAC are supporting a meritocracy & individual freedom.
Republicans are mostly, but not entirely, on the side of merit & freedom.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 24, 2024
“I am making some donations to America PAC, but at a much lower level and the key values of the PAC are supporting a meritocracy & individual freedom,” he said. “Republicans are mostly, but not entirely, on the side of merit & freedom.”
A separate report from Bloomberg alleged that Musk had made donations to the America PAC in June but didn’t specify how much he had donated, at the time.
During a rally in Michigan last weekend, Trump addressed the report of Musk’s alleged monthly donations, saying that he was unaware that it was happening but shouted out his “love” for Musk nonetheless.
Related: Donald Trump Praises Elon Musk, Says He Didn’t Know About Musk’s Donations Supporting His Campaign
“I read — I didn’t even know this, he didn’t even tell me about it — but [Musk] gives me $45 million a month,” Trump said, at the time. “I talked to him just a little while ago to say I was coming here, ‘How you doing?’ and he didn’t even mention it.”
Musk publicly backed Trump following the attempted assassination of the former President on July 13, saying that he would “fully endorse” him and called for his “rapid recovery.”
The Tesla founder also called Trump’s VP nomination, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, an “excellent decision.”