Revealed: the technology executives who invested $394.1 million into the US election – and how they stack up against Elon Musk.
FEC records provide a glimpse into the financial influence of tech on Washington as it seeks to shape government policy.

Silicon Valley contributed over $394.1 million to this year’s US presidential election, as reported by a Guardian analysis, with a significant portion stemming from an enormous gift of around $243 million that Elon Musk made to Donald Trump’s campaign.

The assessment of updated election data from the US Federal Election Commission (FEC) highlights the growing power of the tech sector in US politics. Supporters of cryptocurrency were particularly active in this election cycle as they pushed back against potential regulations, funneling funds into presidential bids and vital congressional contests.

The financial backers hailed from the leading firms in technology: Google, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and Netflix. Other contributions came from notable venture capitalists who accrued vast fortunes from tech investments.

In total, Trump garnered $273.2 million in contributions from some of the biggest names in the tech industry, which included:

$242.6 million from Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla, SpaceX, and X (previously Twitter), whose estimated net worth stands at $350 billion.

$5.5 million from Marc Andreessen, billionaire founder of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, commonly referred to as a16z. Andreessen’s business partner, Ben Horowitz, initially backed Trump but later supported Harris.

$5.1 million from Jan Koum, co-founder of WhatsApp, who earned the majority of his wealth when Facebook purchased the messaging platform in 2014 for $19 billion.

Kamala Harris received a total of $120.9 million, broken down as follows:

$51.1 million from Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, who left the social media giant in 2008 to launch workflow software company Asana.

$17 million from Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn.

$11.7 million from Chris Larsen, billionaire chair of Ripple, a cryptocurrency firm.

The FEC records merely hint at the extensive financial resources tech is channeling into Washington to sway government and regulatory processes. The landscape of political donations in the US is intricate and not easily understood, and contributors can often find methods to give without public disclosure.

There are several avenues for individuals to donate to political campaigns in the US. One method is a direct contribution to a candidate’s campaign, which is limited to $3,300 per individual. Another option is contributing to a political action committee (Pac) that directly supports a political campaign, funding staffing, outreach, events, and advertising.

The 2010 groundbreaking Supreme Court case Citizens United v. FEC significantly simplified the process for industries and affluent individuals to financially support political campaigns, often through mechanisms that are challenging to trace but completely legal.

That ruling led to a third, less transparent method of donating: Super Pacs. Businesses and wealthy individuals can contribute unlimited sums to a Super Pac. The only restriction is that Super Pacs cannot directly donate to a campaign—however, they can spend freely on political advertisements for their preferred candidates.

Consequently, individual and corporate spending on campaigns is virtually unbounded. This is how Elon Musk was able to allocate his $242.6 million to Trump’s campaign and how numerous others managed to spend millions supporting their chosen candidates.

For many of Trump’s richest backers, the former president’s rhetoric was eclipsed by his 2017 tax reductions, which are set to lapse at the close of 2025. These tax cuts significantly lowered taxes for the wealthy and corporations.

However, Musk is not the only wealthy individual who has shifted his endorsement toward Trump after years of criticism. Andreessen, who was a prominent supporter of Hillary Clinton in 2016, previously condemned Trump’s stances on immigration. Doug Leone from Sequoia, who labeled the January 6 insurrection as “horrific” and attributed the blame to Trump, ultimately contributed $3.5 million to his campaign this year.

This trend of shifting support reflects a broader ideological change occurring in Silicon Valley. The tech industry, which has traditionally distanced itself from Washington, has become more politically engaged as it rallies around emerging technologies like crypto and AI, both of which have not yet faced significant governmental oversight or regulation.

A person lifts their arms, holding a microphone, with the US flag behind him, while two panels on the right encourage early voting.
The right-leaning faction of Silicon Valley scores wins both nationally and locally.
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Support for Trump has proven beneficial for sectors aiming to prevent regulatory scrutiny. Executives in the oil and gas industry contributed millions to Trump’s campaign, with him vowing to promote oil drilling.

The crypto sector’s donations, along with Trump’s evolving perspectives, have seemingly started to yield results. Recently, Trump appointed Paul Atkins, CEO of Patomak Global Partners, to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission, the primary regulatory agency overseeing financial markets. Atkins is regarded as supportive of crypto and would take over from Gary Gensler, whose regulations governing the $3.5 trillion crypto market have led to conflicts with the cryptocurrency community.

While fossil fuel companies are usually the largest corporate contributors during elections, the cryptocurrency sector is rapidly becoming the top political donor in the United States. A report by the progressive think tank Public Citizen indicated that the crypto industry was the highest corporate contributor in the 2024 election cycle.

Much of the crypto industry’s influence was visible during congressional elections, where the crypto lobby spent $40 million to undermine Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown’s campaign in Ohio, but it also played a role in presidential races.

Although Trump once referred to cryptocurrencies as a “scam,” he has warmed to the industry as its proponents have joined his circle. Trump himself has also ventured into cryptocurrency by launching his own digital currency.

In May, Trump became the first presidential candidate to receive donations in bitcoin. Shortly thereafter, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the billionaire founders of the cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, contributed a total of $2.5 million to Trump’s campaign, much of which was in actual bitcoin. Tyler Winklevoss has labeled Gensler as “evil,” and both twins have actively campaigned for lenient regulation of the crypto sector.

The twins received some of their bitcoin contributions refunded by Trump’s campaign committee after surpassing the allowable donation limit.

During the summer, Trump complimented the Winklevoss twins, describing them as “male models with a big, beautiful brain.”

John Collins tallied 20 points, Keyonte George contributed 17, and the Utah Jazz put an end to their five-game losing streak with a commanding 141-99 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday evening.

Walker Kessler recorded 13 points, 17 rebounds, and five blocks for the Jazz in what marked only their fifth win of the season.

Jerami Grant scored 19 points for the Trail Blazers, who have now lost three consecutive games. The Blazers fell behind by 46 points, prompting boos from the fanbase at home.

The Jazz quickly jumped out to a 38-20 advantage. Portland suffered an early blow when Toumani Camara left the game limping due to a right foot injury and did not return.

By halftime, the Jazz were ahead 67-44 and extended their lead to 30 points at 76-46 in the third quarter. All of Utah’s starting players had reached double figures by that point.

Takeaways
Jazz: Forward Lauri Markkanen was unexpectedly sidelined due to lower back injury management. He had previously missed three games in the season due to the same concern. Svi Mykhailiuk took his spot in the starting lineup.
Trail Blazers: Portland played without Scoot Henderson for the fifth consecutive game due to a left quad contusion. Rookie Donovan Clingan is dealing with a sprained left knee.

Key Moment
Collin Sexton assisted Collins for a dunk that increased the Jazz’s lead to 90-59 in the third quarter, energizing the bench. Shaedon Sharpe executed a spectacular dunk in the first half as the Blazers attempted to close the gap.

Key Stat
Blazers guard Anfernee Simons became the fourth player in franchise history to achieve over 800 three-pointers, joining the ranks of Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Wesley Matthews. Overall, the Trail Blazers struggled with their shooting from beyond the arc, hitting only 14 of 47 attempts.

Up Next
Both teams will compete again on Sunday night. The Jazz will face the Kings, while the Trail Blazers will take on the Los Angeles Lakers.

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information that leads to the apprehension and conviction of the shooter who murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4.

This increases the cumulative reward offered by law enforcement agencies to $60,000, following the New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) previous statement of a $10,000 reward for leads regarding the suspect’s identification.

In a recent statement, the FBI announced on Friday that it is working alongside the NYPD in “requesting the public’s help in locating the unknown individual” responsible for the death of the 50-year-old.

Thompson was shot fatally by an attacker wearing a mask in what authorities suspect was a targeted shooting. The motive behind the murder remains undisclosed.

The shooting incident took place outside 1335 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, at approximately 6:40 a.m. on December 4, according to the FBI’s report.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting is encouraged to reach out to the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-225-5324 or contact the NYPD’s tipline at 1-800-577-8477.

Authorities believe that the shooter arrived in New York City on November 24 via a bus service from Atlanta and allegedly shot the victim ten days later.

On Friday, police stated they discovered a backpack in Central Park, which is believed to be associated with the shooter. The suspect is thought to have left New York City after the incident.

Footage from video cameras captured the assailant fleeing the scene on an e-bike to Central Park in Manhattan, and then leaving the park near 77th Street. He subsequently walked to another location before flagging down a taxi that took him to the Port Authority bus terminal close to 178th Street and Broadway, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny informed CNN on Friday.

“Those buses are interstate buses. That’s why we suspect he may have exited New York City,” he noted, adding that authorities are investigating which bus the individual might have taken.

Kenny later indicated that the NYPD has secured video footage of the man entering the Port Authority Bus Terminal but mentioned that no footage exists of him leaving, leading them to “think he may have boarded a bus.”

The Atlanta Police Department announced on December 6 that it is providing support to the NYPD “as required” in the investigation.

UnitedHealthcare is widely regarded as one of the largest health insurance providers in the United States, and its parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., ranks among the largest corporations in America.

President-elect Donald Trump held a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Saturday evening.

Macron was observed giving a thumbs-up as Trump and Zelenskyy stood beside him for a photo at the presidential palace.

Though Macron had initially intended to meet with Zelenskyy, his office announced that he suggested the trilateral meeting just before Trump’s arrival.

This meeting occurs as Trump has indicated a desire to swiftly negotiate a resolution to the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict, although there are still uncertainties about how he plans to put an end to the hostilities.

If a cease-fire merely solidifies the fronts as they are, Russia could keep a substantial portion of Ukraine’s territory it controlled before the war.

Zelenskyy has indicated a willingness to discuss a cease-fire if NATO extends its alliance to encompass areas of Ukraine that are not currently under Russian control.

In a November 29 interview, the Ukrainian president stated, “To halt the active phase of the war, we need to place the territory of Ukraine that we control under the NATO umbrella.”

Zelenskyy also mentioned that Ukraine might eventually recover the territory occupied by Russia through some form of diplomatic negotiations.

It remains unclear whether Trump will consider Zelenskyy’s proposals as a basis for discussions on a cease-fire.

To foster trust with the new U.S. administration, Zelenskyy’s senior aide Andriy Yermak engaged with key members of Trump’s team during a two-day visit earlier this week.

Elon Musk, who is the richest individual in the world, gave over $250 million to campaign committees that back President-elect Donald Trump, with the majority of this amount contributed in the closing weeks of the 2024 presidential race, according to recent federal disclosures.

Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of the social media platform X, donated $238.5 million to America PAC, a prominent political action committee supporting Trump’s campaign, as reported in a Thursday filing to the Federal Election Commission. His donations included three consecutive $25 million contributions made each week in October.

The donations from Musk also included $40.5 million in contentious daily payments of $1 million to Trump supporters across seven key swing states. He described these payments as a kind of lottery for individuals who signed a petition endorsing the Constitution.

Federal regulations prohibit the buying of votes. However, a judge in Pennsylvania dismissed Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s effort to stop Musk’s daily $1 million giveaways.

Elon Musk, along with Vivek Ramaswamy, who is set to co-lead Trump’s proposed new Department of Government Efficiency, walked through Capitol Hill with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., the day they met with Congress members, as Musk carried his son on his shoulders in Washington on December 5, 2024.
Lisa Gilbert, co-president of the watchdog organization Public Citizen, criticized Musk’s financial support for Trump as “obscene.”

“We found out that Elon Musk contributed an astonishing $250 million to place Donald Trump in the presidency,” Gilbert stated on Friday. “We witnessed wealthy billionaires and corporate funds dominate the 2024 election. They highlighted the urgent need for robust campaign finance reforms to cleanse our political system of big money.”

Since taking office, Trump has appointed Musk as an advisor for reducing government expenditures, making him co-leader of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency. Musk has been engaging with lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington this week in preparation for Trump’s inauguration on January 20, aiming to eliminate $2 trillion from a federal budget of $6.75 trillion.

“I believe it’s essential to ensure that we wisely allocate the public’s funds,” Musk told reporters on Thursday, though he stopped short of providing any specifics.

Forget the random statistics and data points, along with the subjective analysis of the College Football Playoff selection committee.

Boise State has excelled in all aspects.

The No. 10 Broncos made a compelling case for the committee with their 21-7 win over No. 19 UNLV in the Mountain West Conference championship on Friday night. They left no question.

The Broncos have secured 12 victories. They claimed a conference title. Their two victories against the Rebels account for more wins against College Football Playoff top 25 teams than any of the four teams competing in the Big 12 and ACC championship games.

They’ve met every shifting criterion set by the committee – including possessing the best loss of anyone in contention – and have made it clear: they merit one of the four first-round byes designated for the top-ranked conference champions.

Make the right decision, College Football selection committee. Award the Broncos a first-round bye.

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty makes a run against UNLV during the first half of the Mountain West Championship at Albertsons Stadium on December 6, 2024, in Boise, Idaho.

This isn’t solely about the outstanding season of star tailback Ashton Jeanty, who is deserving of Heisman Trophy consideration. Nor is it just about the biggest victory in the school’s history.

This pertains to a program that has been striving for the BCS and CFP postseason for the past two decades, yet for various reasons, has never made it. Now that the Broncos have met every evolving CFP standard, there’s no escaping their deserving position.

Two Indianapolis police officers were acquitted of manslaughter and other charges Friday in the death of a man after officers shocked him with a Taser and restrained him face down while handcuffing him.

Jurors began deliberating Friday morning and took less than three hours to come up with a verdict following five days of testimony in the trial over the 2022 death of Herman Whitfield III, local news outlets reported.

Officers Adam Ahmad and Steven Sanchez were tried together. The jury acquitted them on all charges: one felony count each of involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, battery resulting in serious bodily injury and battery resulting in moderate injury, and one misdemeanor battery charge.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement after the verdicts were handed down that he was “heartbroken” for Whitfield’s family.

John Kautzman, one of the officers’ attorneys, told The Associated Press that the defense team was “very, very pleased with the outcome of the case” and police officers shouldn’t go to prison for doing their jobs.

“We felt that they acted appropriately under very difficult circumstances and we’re really happy they were exonerated,” Kautzman said.

Ahmad, 32, and Sanchez, 35, were indicted by a grand jury in April 2023 after Whitfield’s family spent nearly a year demanding that authorities release full body camera videos of his encounter with police and called for the firing of up to six officers.

The videos, which were released in January 2023, document Whitfield’s final moments.

Both officers have remained on administrative duty with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department during the case. Chief Chris Bailey posted on X that both officers will resume their normal duties after completing refresher training.

Bailey also extended his sympathies to Whitfield’s family and commended, Ahmad, Sanchez and other officers and detectives who testified during the trial for their “professionalism and resilience.”

“Cases like this are deeply difficult, and there are no true winners,” Bailey wrote.

Whitfield’s parents, Herman Whitfield Jr. and Gladys Whitfield, called 911 on April 25, 2022, and reported that their 39-year-old son, a gifted pianist, was in the throes of a mental health crisis at the family’s Indianapolis home.

Whitfield was pronounced dead at a hospital after Sanchez shocked him with a Taser and he and Ahmad held Whitfield face down on the floor of his parents’ dining room as he was being handcuffed.

The Marion County Coroner’s Office ruled Whitfield’s death a homicide, caused by heart failure as he was being restrained and shocked.

According to the report, Whitfield weighed 389 pounds. The coroner’s office listed “morbid obesity” and “hypertensive cardiovascular disease” as contributing factors in his death.

Daniel Cicchini, the chief trial deputy for the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, said in his opening statement on Dec. 2 that the two officers acted “recklessly” by restraining Whitfield face down longer than necessary.

“Essentially, his heart and lungs could no longer function properly,” Cicchini told the jury. “When they kept him in that position, they did so recklessly.”

He said the officers’ actions left Whitfield “unable to breathe.”

“In April 2022, Herman Jr. and Gladys Whitfield reached out for help, hoping that the police would protect their son in a moment of desperate need and the result of what ensued was a tragedy,” Mears, the prosecutor, said in his statement Friday.

Ahmad and Sanchez’s attorneys argued that the officers did nothing illegal.

One of their attorneys, Mason Riley, said during his opening statement that Whitfield suffered from an enlarged heart. He said Whitfield, according to his autopsy, died “before the handcuffing concluded.”

“Neither of them have committed a single criminal act,” Riley said of the co-defendants.

He also said neither officer, nor other officers who responded to the family’s home, heard Whitfield say that he couldn’t breathe.

The officers’ attorneys had sought to have the charges dismissed against both men, arguing in part that the grand jury proceedings were “defective” and that “the facts stated do not constitute an offense.”

The court dismissed a second count of involuntary manslaughter that Sanchez had faced, but it allowed the remaining charges against the officers to proceed to trial.

A lawsuit filed by Whitfield’s family against the city of Indianapolis and six police officers, including Ahmad, Sanchez and Clark, states that Whitfield “died because of the force used against him” and calls the force used against him “unreasonable and excessive.”

“Mr. Whitfield needed professional mental health care, not the use of excessive force,” the lawsuit contends.

The family is seeking unspecified damages. That civil case is set for trial in July 2025 in federal court in Indianapolis.

A panel of three judges dismissed on December 6 TikTok, ByteDance, and a collective of TikTok users’ challenge against a legislation mandating the app to dissociate from the Chinese communist government to remain operational in the United States. TikTok is now at risk of a ban effective January 19, 2025, unless President Joe Biden grants a 90-day extension, as the company contends that the regime in China will prevent any sale to a non-Chinese entity. This situation arises from the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), which Biden signed into law in April, prohibiting apps owned by foreign adversaries from functioning within the U.S.

The appeal was presented before a panel of judges, including U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan, Circuit Judge Neomi Rao, and Senior Circuit Judge Douglas Ginsburg. Petitioners claimed that the law is unconstitutional, infringing upon users’ First Amendment rights regarding free speech.

The U.S. government contended that the statute does not target the content of the app but rather its ownership concerning national security regulations. According to Ginsburg’s opinion for the panel, “The Act satisfies strict scrutiny.” He added, “We emphasize from the outset that our conclusion here is fact-bound.”

The protracted efforts made by both branches of the government to investigate the national security threats posed by TikTok and to consider remedies put forth by TikTok significantly support the Act’s validity. TikTok indicated intentions to take the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court, although it remains uncertain whether the court would entertain an emergency petition before the January 19, 2025, cutoff.

TikTok expressed, “The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue.” The judges were convinced that the Chinese communist regime posed a national security risk, referencing notable instances of cyberattacks and cyberespionage backed by the Chinese state.

The government began scrutinizing TikTok in 2018, and from 2019 onwards, it engaged in numerous discussions with TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, to seek a resolution that wouldn’t involve divestment. Washington was not content with TikTok’s final proposal made in August 2022, believing it failed to address security concerns adequately. Consequently, federal lawmakers proposed legislation necessitating ByteDance’s divestment from TikTok.

The underlying security issue is that Chinese national security laws mandate all companies operating in China to comply with requests from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to provide data, even if this conflicts with laws in the data’s country of origin. The panel also dismissed TikTok’s claim that it was unfairly targeted, asserting that data collection was not the government’s principal concern.

The petitioners did not “identify any company operating a comparable platform in the United States with equivalent connections to the PRC,” the judges wrote, finding that the executive and legislative branches’ multiyear efforts to work with TikTok toward a solution showed that it was a legitimate “pressing concern.”

PRC refers to communist China’s official name, the People’s Republic of China.

“In this case, a foreign government threatens to distort free speech on an important medium of communication,” the opinion reads. “Using its hybrid commercial strategy, the PRC has positioned itself to manipulate public discourse on TikTok in order to serve its own ends. The PRC’s ability to do so is at odds with free speech fundamentals.”

The judges wrote that the law does not attempt to influence content on TikTok, but only acts to prevent a foreign adversary from influencing this content. PAFACA does not address content and would allow TikTok to host the same content under new ownership.

TikTok had argued that the government could not prove the Chinese regime had manipulated content on the app. The government had submitted piecemeal evidence of content manipulation, which it admitted did not point to a particular source, along with evidence of the CCP’s foreign influence campaigns. Judges noted that TikTok would not deny allegations that the Chinese regime was manipulating content.

“Notably, TikTok never squarely denies that it has ever manipulated content on the TikTok platform at the direction of the PRC,” the opinion reads. “Its silence on this point is striking.”

“With today’s opinion, all three branches of government have reached the same conclusion: ByteDance is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, and TikTok’s ownership by ByteDance is a national security threat that cannot be mitigated through any other means than divestiture,” he stated.

“Every day that TikTok remains under the Chinese Communist Party’s control is a day that our security is at risk.”

House Select Committee on the CCP Chair Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich) stated the divestiture would end the CCP’s ability to “exploit ByteDance’s control over TikTok to undermine our sovereignty, surveil our citizens, and threaten our national security.”

Moolenaar expressed confidence that President-elect Donald Trump could facilitate a sale of TikTok to an American company.

“I am optimistic that President Trump will facilitate an American takeover of TikTok to allow its continued use in the United States and I look forward to welcoming the app in America under new ownership,” he said.

On the campaign trail, Trump had echoed the national security concerns about TikTok but said he would be able to get the app to sell. He had said he was not in favor of a ban, as the app’s exit from the market could give social media giants such as Meta a monopoly.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, founder of Advancing American Freedom, commended the ruling and urged Trump to hold TikTok to the divest-or-ban law.

Melania Trump stated on Friday during her first interview since the election that President-elect Donald Trump has been taking advice from their 18-year-old son, Barron Trump, praising him for his role in helping his father secure the victory in the 2024 presidential election.

While speaking on “Fox & Friends,” the future first lady mentioned that Barron “was very vocal” in guiding his father on which media appearances would help attract younger voters.

“He had a clear understanding of who his father should reach out to and engage with,” Melania noted on the Fox News show, emphasizing that younger voters have shifted away from television and primarily obtain information through podcasts, social media, and live streaming platforms. Consequently, Barron “contributed to the campaign’s success,” she stated.

“He is a mature young man. I take great pride in his understanding, even regarding politics and the advice he provides to his father—he attracted a significant number of young individuals. He relates well to his generation, as today’s youth no longer gather in front of the TV,” Melania Trump expressed.

In the final phases of the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump engaged with various popular podcasters like Joe Rogan, who boasts millions of followers, along with Theo Von, Lex Fridman, Adin Ross, among others. Vice President-elect JD Vance also made appearances on several podcasts, including Rogan’s show shortly after Trump.

Many of the podcast episodes featuring Trump amassed millions of views, with the Rogan episode achieving 52 million views in slightly over a month.

Earlier this year, the president-elect said he would trust his son’s political advice.

“He’s seen it. He doesn’t have to hear. He is a smart one. He doesn’t have to hear much. But …  he’s a great guy,” Trump said in an interview with Philadelphia’s Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, as he was on trial in New York City on falsification of business records charges.

Melania Trump also fielded questions from Fox News on how their son is dealing with college as the son of a former president and now incoming president. An 18-year-old freshman, Barron Trump currently attends New York University in Manhattan.

“I don’t think it’s possible for him to be a normal student,” Melania Trump said in the interview. “This is your road,” she added, describing advice she had given to her son. “This is your life.”

Also in the interview, the soon-to-be first lady said that preparing to enter the White House for the second time looks a lot different from the first go-around. Now, she and her husband know what to expect, she said.

“I know what you need to establish, you know what kind of people you need to hire to be in your office,” she said in the rare television appearance, where she promoted holiday ornaments she’s selling and her memoir as Christmas approaches.

She said her husband’s attitude after his 2024 win was not the same as when he won in 2016.

“The country and the people really supported him,” she said. “I think the energy is different. People around him are different.”

She also described working on her memoir, which was released several months ago, as a process that was “very personal and could be sometimes very joyful, but also traumatic and hard.” In the book, titled “Melania,” she described her feelings after learning and seeing that her husband was shot in the right ear during a Pennsylvania rally in July.

Her husband is due to be inaugurated for his second term as president in about a month and a half, on Jan. 20, 2025. The new Congress will certify the November presidential election results on Jan. 6, 2025.

Recent financial disclosures reveal that in a late effort, Elon Musk surpassed Timothy Mellon to become the largest individual contributor to federal candidates in the upcoming 2024 elections.

On December 5, federal committees registered with the Federal Election Commission submitted their post-general reports detailing their financial activities from October 17 to November 25. These reports indicated that Musk, who has established a significant influence within President-elect Donald Trump’s inner circle, contributed over $238.5 million to a super political action committee supporting Trump’s campaign for the presidency in 2024.

This contribution positioned Musk above Mellon, a descendant of the Mellon family wealth, who has been a significant financier for the Make America Great Again Inc. super PAC. MAGA Inc. was a key supporter of Trump during his previous campaign for office. Mellon also funded a group endorsing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent campaign, American Values 2024, in both 2023 and 2024.

Mellon contributed about $197 million in the 2023–2024 election cycle, according to the Money in Politics watchdog organization OpenSecrets.

Musk founded the super PAC America PAC, according to its website. The organization’s main goals are strong borders, safe cities, free speech, sensible spending, a fair justice system, and self-protection. According to its most recent FEC filing, America PAC spent more than $249.9 million in 2024.

Independent expenditure reports attached to the Dec. 5 filing said America PAC spent its money on printing, postage, phone calls, text messages, digital media, canvassing, and field operations largely to boost Trump and oppose the Democratic Party’s candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris. Smaller expenditures were directed toward helping Republicans in races for the House and Senate.

Musk and the PAC attracted considerable media attention by giving away $1 million per day to registered voters who signed a petition supporting free speech and the right to bear arms in the run-up to the election.

The $1 million check promotion also drew attention from both the U.S. Department of Justice and Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who attempted to block the gifts by accusing the PAC of running an illegal lottery. That effort was ultimately blocked on Nov. 4 by a judge from the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.

In November, Musk vowed to continue the PAC’s political activities in the coming midterm elections and direct its resources toward smaller local races.

Musk is believed to be among the wealthiest men in the world. Forbes estimates his worth at more than $347 billion. He is the founder and CEO of Tesla Inc. and Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

Since the Nov. 5 federal election, Musk has spent much time in Trump’s transitional government organization and is reportedly speaking with foreign leaders and weighing in on cabinet picks. Musk, along with fellow Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy, is leading a nongovernmental advisory group called the Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to slash federal spending.

In addition to his support of America PAC, Musk donated to three other groups in 2024—the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the Calvert Victory Fund, and the Early Vote Action PAC, according to FEC records.

The NRCC is a group dedicated to electing Republicans to the House. The Calvert Victory Fund was a group devoted to reelecting Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.). The Early Vote Action PAC, according to its most recent FEC filing, paid various individuals for “field strategy consulting.”

Additionally, a group registered to a PO Box in Austin, Texas, called the “Elon Musk Revocable Trust,” sent $20.5 million to the super PAC RBG PAC on Oct. 24, according to federal records.

According to its independent expenditure reports, the group supported Trump.