President Donald Trump has had a complex relationship with the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, over the years.
Musk, who was more supportive of Democrats earlier in his career and helped drive the liberal push for electric cars, had shifted right by the time he bought Twitter in 2022.
President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in the Oval Office. Vice President JD Vance attends. (Official White House Photo by Emily J. Higgins.)
He announced that year that he was supporting Republicans for Congress, and in 2024, on the day of Trump’s shooting in Butler, he endorsed Trump for president.
Musk went on to spend nearly $300 million in the 2024 election cycle, including controversial $1 million giveaways in Pennsylvania, and he appeared at rallies for Trump in the election’s final days.
After Trump won, Musk joined the administration as a “special government employee”. He was given control of the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE).
This new agency gutted USAID and other agencies and led to numerous firings, though it ultimately did not save the government much money.
Trump and Musk, as many predicted, ultimately began feuding, with Musk declaring on social media that Trump is “in the Epstein files,” and later arguing against the passage of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”
However, that hasn’t stopped Musk from once again acting as a major GOP donor in the 2026 midterms cycle.
According to The New York Times, Musk has spent $474 million on the midterms, which is not only more than Musk put forward in 2024.
Still, it is the most money any donor has ever spent in a single election cycle without being a candidate himself.
Of that money, $216 million has gone to his Super PAC, America PAC, plus $168 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, $30 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, and the rest to other groups.
Investigating Musk?
Despite all that spending, Republicans aren’t expected to have a great night on Tuesday, so the expenditures may not have been worth it. And if Democrats end up controlling one or both houses of Congress, Musk could find himself under investigation.
President Donald J. Trump oversees Operation Epic Fury at Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, FL, March 1, 2026. (White House photo by Daniel Torok)
Politico reported last month that Musk has “emerged as a man of intense interest to several potential committee chairs,” should Democrats recapture the committee gavels in 2027.
There are numerous potential avenues for investigation, including how DOGE operated, Musk’s actions regarding Starlink and Ukraine, the many contracts his companies have with the federal government, and the possibility of conflicts of interest.
Indeed, as Forbes noted, the government in the second Trump Administration has handed billions of dollars in contracts to Musk’s companies.
“We definitely have a lot of questions about Elon Musk’s role in DOGE, and it is something we plan to investigate,” a spokesperson for Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), a top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, told Politico.
This could take forms such as bringing Musk before committees to testify or issuing subpoenas for various records.
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) told Politico that DOGE’s dismantling of USAID “saved no taxpayer money, balanced no budget, and made America no safer.”
Musk issued a warning on X last month to any politicians who might investigate him.
“Those who pick fights with me should understand that I will find out who is really pulling the strings and come for them, not just their puppets,” Musk said, while quoting the Politico story in which Democratic officials talked about probing him.
However, any real criminal investigation would appear highly unlikely as long as the Trump Administration remains in charge.
The president has also offered to “protect” his record-breaking financial supporter.
A Pardon for Elon?
Axios reported Monday that Trump was asked in a recent podcast interview what he would do about Congressional investigations of Musk and other Trump allies.
“It’s talk. But if it is talk, we’ll have to protect them,” Trump said. He added that he would not hesitate to issue preemptive pardons for his staff and allies.
However, a pardon of Musk would not prevent Congress from continuing to investigate his companies.
Democrats in Congress have also discussed investigating Trump’s past pardons.
“I would if I needed to. Sure,” Trump told podcaster Miranda Devine. “I would not even think about it. I’d do it.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has written thousands of articles on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
