Elon Musk spent nearly $260m to help elect Donald Trump

Elon Musk, the world's wealthiest man, made a significant impact on United States President-elect Donald Trump's 2024 re-election campaign as he contributed over $259 million to support his campaign, according to recent Federal Election Commission filings.

This massive financial backing positions the Tesla CEO and SpaceX owner as one of the largest benefactors in US presidential campaign history, enhancing his influence within the Republican sphere.

Notably, Musk, gave $239 million to America PAC, a super PAC he founded to help turn out voters for Trump.

In late October Musk, 53, gave an additional $20 million to RBG PAC, a group that sought to convince voters that Trump, 78, would not sign into a law a national abortion ban, according to the FEC filings. The group's name refers to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal icon known for her support of abortion rights.

Musk, who also owns the social media platform X, has emerged as a close advisor in Trump's transition team. Trump has chosen him, along with former Republican presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, to head a task force aimed at slashing government spending and regulations.

Musk and Ramaswamy met on Capitol Hill on Thursday with lawmakers whose support they will need to win the sweeping spending cuts Trump has asked them to find.

The two men have called for firing thousands of federal workers, slashing regulations and eliminating programs whose authorisation has expired, such as veterans' healthcare.

Musk has also been a regular fixture and Trump confidante at the president-elect's Mar-a-Lago Florida estate during the transition