Opinion | Elon Musk is re-entering politics. It might not go as he hopes.
Jul. 31, 2026, 6:00 AM EDTReflecting on his timetaking a wrecking ballto the government last year, Tesla CEOElon Musk recently confessedto The Economist that he believes he “got a little too involved in. . .
Jul. 31, 2026, 6:00 AM EDTReflecting on his timetaking a wrecking ballto the government last year, Tesla CEOElon Musk recently confessedto The Economist that he believes he “got a little too involved in politics, got carried away, frankly. ” But not so carried away, apparently, so as to deter him from trying again. Axios, citing sources with knowledge of the plan,reported thatMusk is “jumping into the midterms with a huge investment in a plan to boost Republican voter turnout. ” He’s doing that by “resuscitating his dormant super PAC, America PAC, which spent more than $260 million to help get President Trump elected in 2024. ” (An America PAC spokesperson told Axios that “we’re excited to again be part of the team. ”) Musk’s backing of the operation gave him the plutocratic distinction of being the single-biggest political donor in a political cycle in American history. Even as Musk seeks to boost the fortunes of the GOP, he also comes with potential political costs. But that doesn’t mean his money will be as effective this time around. Musk has revealed himself since then to be erratic and frequentlyself-defeatingin his political maneuvering. And given that his favorabilityhas tankedand is underwater, he provides Democrats witha ready-made villaininthe election cycle. So far,Musk has reportedlyauthorized America PAC to spend $100 million to $120 million. But it cannot be assumed that the commitment is rock solid, nor should we expect that it will necessarily rise to match the amount he committed in 2024. He has shown himself to be a fickle friend, and he might not be as invested in the outcome as before. Last year Musk and Trump had a tumultuous relationship aschummy pals,then enemiesand then, perhaps, awkwardfrenemies. Trump rewarded Musk by putting him in charge of theso-called Department of Government Efficiency, which caused chaos by disrupting agencies,including the Social Security Administration, andentirely dismantlingthem for distributing international aid. Then,after DOGE failedto achieve its goal of cutting federal spending, Musk abruptlyslunk off from the White House. Musk has also demonstrated sensitivity to the blowback he gets, responding in unexpected ways. For example, he has melted downin response to accurate claimsthat hebears responsibilityfor the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people because of his shuttering of the U. S. Agency for International Development. And when he was feeling sick of the GOP last year, he floated the idea of launchinga brand new political party. Even with significant and steady resources, the question of how much America PAC’s get-out-the-vote operations affect races is murky. A 2024 Washington Post analysisobserved that even though the group was particularly focused on voters in Pennsylvania, there was “no evidence that Pennsylvania was unusually supportive of Trump and some evidence that it was less supportive than other states. ” That doesn’t mean we should rule out the possibility that America PAC’s operations could be effective, but there’s reason to be skeptical of some of the 2024 hype. And even as Musk seeks to boost the fortunes of the GOP, he also comes with potential political costs. His reputation on the left has transformed over the past few years from widely admired tech entrepreneur to partisanracist oligarchwho raises his arm in gestures thatresemble Nazi salutesand throws tantrums over being asked to answer for hisabhorrent brutalitytoward the global poor. And along the way, he also became a trillionaire (briefly), which makes him even more of acartoonish antagonist. It’s hard to imagine a better bogeyman for Democrats to bring up in their messaging as they try to rally voters and remind them about the need to unite against fat cats trying to subvert their will. None of this is to suggest that the GOP isn’t going to be excited about news of America PAC re-entering the fray — the party is desperately in need of help as itstruggles in the polls. But his rescue attempt won’t necessarily be reliable or successful, especiallygiven the scope of the party’s crisis. Zeeshan Aleem is a writer and editor for MS NOW. He primarily writes about politics and foreign policy.