Former President Donald Trump met with billionaire Elon Musk in Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday, The New York Times reports. The meeting raises speculation that Musk, who has aligned with the right on the culture wars and immigration, could provide the Trump campaign with much-needed cash as it pivots toward the general election in the coming weeks.
Trump scored big wins in yesterday’s Super Tuesday primaries, coming close to the 1215 delegates he’ll need to secure the Republican nomination in July.
Trump Needs Cash
The Biden campaign and its allies are awash in cash, with more than $700 million in pledged donations. Meanwhile, the Trump campaign and the Republican Party are struggling to match the fundraising momentum of Biden and the Democrats. Trump also faces 91 felony indictments and growing legal fees.
There has been speculation that the Republican National Committee could pay some of Trump’s legal fees. In 2023, pro-Trump Super PACs paid more than $50 million in the former president’s legal fees. They’re likely to continue to do the heavy lifting on that front, but that is cash that could have been spent on Trump’s reelection bid.
Trump and Musk Make a Deal?
Trump and Musk have had a hot-and-cold relationship over the years. In 2022, Musk said Trump “needed to sail into the sunset” and was too old to become president for a second time. Trump shot back, saying that without subsidies, Musk would be “worthless.”
But as November nears, Musk — the world’s second-richest man and owner of Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter) — has posting fawning tweets about Trump.
This week, Musk tweeted, “Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) is a real disease.”
Over the years, Musk has donated to both Democrats and Republicans. But it appears that this year, he’s all in on Trump.
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