Washington (AP) – Elon MuskThe richest person in the world and a supporter of the main supporters of President Donald Trump, said on Tuesday that he was spending “much less” for political campaigns, an overthrow that could be a setback for the Republicans before the mid-term elections next year.
Musk revealed his decision by videoconference during a Bloomberg forum in Doha, Qatar. This testifies to his possible disenchantment with politics after his tumultuous mandate as a Trump choice to lead the newly created Government’s efficiency department, which is far from its objectives of reducing federal expenses. Musque has has reduced his role as government To spend more time in its companies, including Tesla, which has seen an intense flame return. Tesla reported a Big drop in profits in the first quarter.
Vanessa Gonzalez joins other demonstrators with panels and singing slogans outside an exhibition center and a Tesla service center in the northern section of Hollywood in Los Angeles, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo / Richard Vogel, file)
“In terms of political spending, I will do much less in the future,” said Musk. When asked why he replied that “I think I did enough”.
Musk’s declaration marks a reversal of the course he had followed during the 2024 campaign – while he was among the best political spends – and immediately after.
Musk spent At least $ 250 million Support Trump in the presidential campaign, as the main contributor to America Pac, a Super CAP which was active in advertising and financing of door solicitation groups through the seven most competitive states of the November presidential election.
Musk has enjoyed advertising, campaigning alongside Trump sometimes and headlining some of his own campaign rallies on behalf of the GOP candidate.
And while he took the credit for helping Trump returns to the White House, Musk suffered a public defeat in April, after being deeply involved in A Supreme Court of Wisconsin campaign. Groups supported by America PAC muscles and rebuilding the future of America spent more than $ 21 million for the April 1 elections to support the candidate supported by Republican Brad Schimel.
But the defeat of Schimel by 10 percentage points in Wisconsin, a state that Trump transported five months earlier, was a blow for Musk, who campaigned for Schimel in Green Bay on weekends before the elections and was also committed to enforcing Trump’s agenda in Trump’s mid-term elections.
A week after Trump’s victory in November, Musk said the political action committees he supported “would play an important role in the primaries”, adding later that he could help finance the Republican Challengers to the members of the Gop Congress who did not support Trump’s candidates.
“How otherwise? There is no other way,” wrote Musk on X, which he renamed after buying Twitter, in response to the suggestion to support intraparty challenges.
A Musk PACS advisor refused to comment on Tuesday.
Once Trump took office, Musk played a leading role as a Doge’s advisor and leader. He and his acolytes of the department largely attracted the federal government to promulgate deep cuts on the labor market and expenses, in some cases seeking to close entire agencies.
Elon Musk, center, shakes hands with trade secretary Howard Lutnick, on the right, while looking at a city model under construction, Tuesday May 13, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (AP photo / Alex Brandon)
DOGE has prompted tens of thousands of workers to reduce staff in agencies, ranging from IRS to health and social services, and tens of thousands of others have put pressure on buyers and early retirement offers. And they sought to close agencies such as the American agency for international development and the financial protection office of consumers.
With the support of DOGE, the agencies have canceled tens of thousands of government contracts and subsidies which, according to them, do not align with the priorities of the administration. Some of these movements were carried out so quickly that they had to be reversed after decisions of perspective or court conclude that they were illegal.
Critics say that this is equivalent to an reckless approach to the chain saw which could destroy a large part of the country’s apolitical public service, alter services for vulnerable populations and stop critical research.
Doge says that on his “wall of receipts”, he saved around $ 170 billion, but these savings numbers were It is shown that he is imperfect and swollen In many cases.
The role of Musk caused an intense decline, including Protests to his company of electric vehiclesTesla. Addressing journalists earlier this month when he was preparing to step back from Doge, Musk noted the counterpoup.
A person signed a sign of “president of dismissal” during a demonstration on March 29, 2025, in Seattle. (Photo / Lindsey Wasson, file)
“Being tirelessly attacked is not super fun,” he said. “Seeing the burn cars is not fun,” he added, referring to the cases of Tesla broken or burnt down.
The intention announced by Musk to take a step back from political expenses occurs during several new commercial opportunities, including a Deal to accommodate the latest versions From his cat artificial intelligence grok on Microsoft data centers.
Meanwhile, his neural brain interface company provides for his establishment experimental devices in dozens of additional people and its Tesla electric vehicle company is developing a humanoid robot This musk hopes one day to send to Mars.
Musk could change their minds on campaign expenses. The mid-term campaigns of 2026 only take off, while some candidates have not yet announced their candidacy for the elections that remain in 18 months.
But Tuesday, Musk said he didn’t expect it.
“Well, if I see a reason to make political expenses in the future, I will do it,” said Musk. “I don’t currently see any reason.”
—————————————————————————————————————— – Beaumont brought back to monks, owa. Foley reported Iowa City, Iowa. Ali Swenson and Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.
