Elon Kasturi secretly funded conservative political groups in recent years, according to four people familiar with his donations, illustrating the quiet financial support for right-wing causes even before the billionaire businessman in July endorsed former President Donald Trump’s bid for re-election.
Two people familiar with the donation told Reuters that Musk’s contribution to the organization, Building America’s Future, had begun by 2022.
One of the people and a third source said the donation amounted to millions of dollars, significantly increasing the group whose advertising and social media campaign has criticized the Biden administration and a progressive political platform of the type that Musk himself has criticized.
Reuters was unable to determine the exact amount and timeline for the contributions or identify documentation linking the organization’s finances to Musk. Earlier on Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk had funded another pro-Republican group.
Musk did not respond to an email seeking comment.
A spokesperson for Building America’s Future also did not respond.
The magnate behind ventures including the carmaker Tesla, space contractor SpaceX and the social media platform X, Musk for several years was careful to avoid suggestions that he favored either the main US political parties. As of March, a few months before he publicly supported Trump and announced plans to fund a political action committee to work against the Democrats, he wrote on social media: “Just to be very clear, I do not donate money to any candidate for President of the United States.”
Donations to Building America’s Future, however, would indicate that he has used his vast resources to fund right-wing causes. As a 501(c)(4) nonprofit group, the organization is not required by federal law to disclose its financial donors.
Although such groups are not allowed to fund a candidate’s political campaign, they can support political causes. As such, they are commonly referred to as “dark money” groups – used by political operatives, Democrats and Republicans alike, to hide the financial origins of influence campaigns.
In Musk’s case, four people familiar with the donation told Reuters, the contribution to Building America’s Future was kept. Three people were briefed on the donation by executives or linked to the organization and a fourth was consulted on the matter by Musk’s aides.
All spoke with Reuters on the condition that they not be identified by name.
“STOP CACKLING KAMALA”
Income at Building America’s Future, according to government data, rose from some $11 million in 2021 to $53 million in 2022, the year two people said Musk had begun his donation. The figures are the most recent available from the Internal Revenue Service, which requires tax-exempt organizations to disclose their revenue.
It’s unclear whether Musk is still funding the organization or how much he may have donated.
Over the past two years, Building America’s Future has attacked the Biden administration on a number of topics, including illegal immigration, an issue Musk has frequently commented on. A recent anti-immigration video posted online by the group claims that Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s opponent in the November election, “led the invasion” of migrants across the Mexican border and has always “put illegals first.”
Building America’s Future also recently launched a $10 million ad campaign intended to undermine Black support for Harris, according to an August report by NBC News. The campaign criticized the White House’s efforts to ban menthol cigarettes. Research shows that cigarettes, long marketed to African Americans, are even more dangerous to the health of smokers than regular tobacco.
“Instead of focusing on important issues,” one video said, “Biden’s priority is banning menthol cigarettes,” trying to tell adults “what they can and can’t do.”
Kasturi’s political leanings have shifted to the right in recent years.
Although he has said he has voted for Democratic presidential candidates including Biden and Hillary Clinton, Musk has been an outspoken critic of the current administration, saying the White House is giving “a very cold shoulder” to Tesla and SpaceX. A White House spokesman declined to comment.
Musk, ranked by Forbes as the world’s richest individual, has also been a fierce critic of identity politics. He has often used X articles to spread false conspiracy theories about Jews, immigrants and “civil war” in Britain.
After Musk’s recent embrace of Trump, the former president said if elected he would put Musk in charge of a government efficiency commission.
America PAC, the political action committee Musk recently said he funds, this week has spent $77 million on a get-out-the-vote campaign to woo voters who are less likely to support Trump, according to federal election filings. Musk’s exact financial contribution to America PAC is unclear.
In addition to its Musk ties, America PAC and Building America’s Future overlap in terms of personnel, according to election filings and people familiar with the two groups’ operations. One of those people is Generra Peck, former campaign manager for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and now one of the key leaders at America PAC. Pek did not respond to a request for comment.
Like Building America’s Future, America PAC’s messaging has featured aggressive personal criticism of Harris. Flyers distributed by the group in Arizona, reviewed by Reuters, featured a photo of the smiling vice president and read: “stop cackling Kamala.”
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