Tesla CEO Elon Musk has reportedly spent at least $260 million (about 370 billion won) to help US President-elect Donald Trump win the presidential election. This is a figure that far exceeds Musk’s initially known official presidential campaign donation of $132 million (about 188 billion won).
Musk’s influence, considered the most powerful figure in Trump’s second term, appears to be growing. It has also been revealed that Israeli President Itzhak Herzog asked Musk to “persuade Trump to resume hostage release negotiations (with Hamas).”On the 6th, local media outlets such as CNN and NBC reported, citing data from the US Federal Election Commission, that Musk donated $238 million (about 339 billion won) to America PAC, a super PAC (political fundraising organization) established in July to support Trump’s election.
In particular, the amount of money Musk poured in during the last week of the presidential campaign alone reached 120 million dollars (about 170 billion won). In addition, it was belatedly reported that he separately donated 20.5 million dollars (about 29.2 billion won) to an organization called ‘RGB Pack’. This organization has been promoting that Trump will not sign a nationwide abortion ban.
In relation to this, ABC News and others reported that “Musk has become the individual donor who has donated the most money in the history of the US presidential campaign.” However, the money Musk earned from Trump’s election is much more than the amount donated.
According to Bloomberg News, on the 6th of last month, the day after the presidential election, Musk’s asset value increased by about 26.5 billion dollars (about 37.736 trillion won) thanks to the surge in Tesla’s stock price. His assets currently stand at 361.7 billion dollars (about 515.608 trillion won). He was appointed co-head of the Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE) in the Trump second administration and was given the authority to restructure the government and deregulate regulations.
Some see Musk, who has become one of Trump’s closest associates, as a “key man” who moves Trump. According to CNN on that day, Israeli President Herzog asked Musk in a recent phone call to “persuade Trump to resume negotiations with Hamas to release the hostages.” The media reported that the call was made at the request of the hostage families to “talk to Musk, who is close to Trump.”
Previously, the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel in October of last year and kidnapped 251 people, and it is estimated that about 100 of them are currently being held. On the 2nd, Trump pressured Hamas on Truth Social, saying, “If the hostages are not released by January 20, 2025, there will be a high price. “Meanwhile, the Trump administration is expected to decide whether the next-generation fighter jet of the US Air Force will be replaced with an ‘unmanned fighter jet’.
Musk has been emphasizing the need to replace it with an unmanned fighter jet, saying, “In the drone era, manned fighter jets are useless.” According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the US Air Force postponed the recruitment period for the next-generation fighter jet business to replace the existing F-22 stealth fighter jet from the end of this year to the next administration.
There is speculation that Musk will gain business benefits if the next-generation fighter jet of the US Air Force is replaced with an unmanned aircraft.
Tesla, which he owns, has autonomous driving technology, and SpaceX is developing military satellites and unmanned spacecraft necessary for drone communication.
Musk also has close ties to startups that make military drones. However, the media outlet pointed out that the U.S. Air Force has opposed attempts to completely convert manned fighter jets into drones, saying that it is “not yet possible.”