Elon Musk Made Off With $16 Billion of Taxpayer Money

Photo: President Donald J. Trump presents the National Medal of Science to tech company leaders at a “New Golden Age” summit with tech and science leaders at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., Thursday, October 8, 2026. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok). Attribution: “P20261008DT-0973” by The White House via Flickr. United States Government Work. Article by Timothy Noah. The New Republic – October 30, 2026.

Did you know that there’s a law barring federal contractors from making campaign contributions to a political party, committee, or candidate for federal office? Don’t feel bad if you don’t, because neither, it seems, does Elon Musk. CNN money and politics reporter Fredreka Schouten described Musk on October 26 as “a megadonor unlike anyone this country has ever seen.” He’s spent more than $445 million on the midterm elections, which is more than anybody ever spent on an election where the donor was not himself a candidate. That doesn’t count the $291 million Musk spent two years ago to elect Trump and other Republicans. […]

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