Elon Musk contributed huge sums of money. He campaigned relentlessly. And his social media network X provided a platform for the candidate. Of all the architects of Donald Trump’s return to the White House this week, arguably none was more influential than Musk, and certainly none were playing for such high stakes. If he had lost, the X owner would have faced a furious regulatory backlash. As it happens, however, the election has been a triumph for Musk – and will make him more powerful than ever.
Even from this side of the pond, it was hard to escape Musk’s presence during the US election. The entrepreneur behind Tesla and SpaceX put $118 million (£91 million) into the political action committee campaigning for Trump, and even offered $1 million (£770,000) a day to a voter chosen at random who signed a petition supporting the constitution in the seven swing states that were crucial to the result.
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