Revealed: Elon Musk’s $1 Million Gift to Trump Inauguration
Elon Musk’s X Corp. gave $1 million to Trump’s inauguration but the inaugural committee didn’t disclose it until six months later… and Musk has continued pouring money into politics.
President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee failed to report a $1 million in-kind donation from Elon Musk’s X Corp. in its original Federal Election Commission filing, and in multiple amendments. Six months later, a wave of new disclosures reveal the gift and show Musk’s money still flowing into politics, even as his alliance with Trump grows more strained.
What’s New
A Jan. 15 in-kind contribution from X Corp., the social media company previously known as Twitter and owned by Musk, never appeared in any of the Trump inaugural committee’s original disclosure or in multiple amendments.
The donation only appeared in a supplemental FEC filing on July 18 — just days before a key federal lobbying deadline when lobbyists are legally required to report political contributions from their clients.
On July 30, a new lobbying disclosure filed by X Corp. confirmed the $1 million contribution.
More Musk Money
Despite announcing plans to step back from political spending in May, new campaign finance reports filed July 31 reveal Musk kept making political contributions into at least June — even as his tension with Trump escalated.
Musk gave $45 million to his own pro-Trump super PAC, America PAC, with contributions into at least late June.
But Musk didn’t just give to his own super PAC.
Despite a dramatic falling out with Trump after his departure from DOGE, Musk gave $5 million to Trump’s main super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc., on June 27, according to new FEC filings first reported by Politico.
That same day, Musk poured another $10 million to the main super PACs backing House and Senate Republicans — with $5 million of that to Congressional Leadership Fund, which is aligned with House Republican leadership, and another $5 million to the allied Senate Leadership Fund.
Musk’s multimillion-dollar contributions made him the largest individual donor to both super PACs allied with congressional leadership during the first six months of 2025.
The Inauguration’s Hidden Financiers
Musk’s contribution is just one example of how millions flowed into Trump’s inauguration with little transparency.
Other examples include:
The Tang Family Trust gave $2 million, making it one of the inauguration's top 10 donors.
The trust has little public-facing presence, but the listed address matches the Beverly Hills home of Donald Wei Tang — CEO of fast fashion giant Shein, which has clashed with the Trump administration over tariffs and other issues.
Quantum Legal Consulting LLC, which gave $1 million, is linked to Blackwater founder Erik Prince.
The limited liability company has little paper trail but incorporation records show it changed names just weeks before the contribution, and again after (more from me for the Brennan Center).
A $1 million donation originally attributed to Wipfli LLP was quietly changed to Palantir CEO Alexander Karp, a change in one of the inauguration’s amendments first spotted by Issue One’s Michael Beckel.
Since the inauguration, Karp has more openly embraced political giving — pouring more than $1.3 million into federal political committees in the first six months alone, according to new campaign finance reports first flagged by New York Times’ Teddy Schleifer.
Amazon’s lobbying disclosures revealed an extra $888,893.52 contribution to Trump’s inauguration that hasn’t appeared in any inaugural report (first reported by Dave Levinthal in NOTUS).
Similarly Microsoft reported donating $1 million but the inaugural committee has only acknowledged $750,000.
These gaps highlight how tens of millions flowed into Trump’s inauguration with limited transparency — and contributions went entirely unreported for several months.
What to Watch
🗓️ More undisclosed donors? Trump’s inaugural committee quietly amended its disclosures yet again on July 31.
📅 A major FEC deadline. Super PACs and political committees reported six months of fundraising and spending on July 31. I’m digging in to see what the filings reveal… and what they don’t.
🧭 Musk isn’t done. Even after stepping back publicly, his money is still moving — and could reshape the 2026 midterms.
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