Elon Musk has announced plans to reduce his political spending in the future, citing a lack of immediate need for such efforts. The Tesla CEO, who previously invested over $290 million in helping elect President Donald Trump and favored congressional candidates, expressed that he believes he’s “done enough.” However, it remains unclear whether this decision means he’ll scale back on a pledge to support Trump’s preferred groups.
Musk’s remarks come after a tumultuous interview with Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain, where he faced tough questioning for the first time in months. The exchange highlighted potential conflicts of interest between Musk’s work in government and his leadership roles at companies with significant business ties to that government.
Despite these concerns, Musk asserts that his involvement in government is limited, and any perceived conflict would be widely reported. He also denied accusations of racism surrounding Starlink’s operations in South Africa, stating the service was blocked due to minority ownership rules, not racist policies.
As Musk refocuses on his companies, including Tesla, he remains connected to Washington, meeting with Cabinet secretaries and advising the White House. The future of his spending and influence remains to be seen.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/20/business/elon-musk-politics-spending