Musk signals support for Republicans in 2026 midterms despite his public spat with Trump

Months ahead of the US midterm elections, Tesla CEO Elon Musk signalled that he would support the Republicans despite his spectacular falling out with US President Donald Trump last year. While he was engaged in a public spat with Trump, Musk blasted the Republican Party as a corrupt force that was “bankrupting” the United States of America.

However, now the tech baron indicated that he will once again devote his enormous fortune to electing GOP politicians, this time ahead of the midterm elections in 2026. “America is toast if the radical left wins,” declared Musk on X Thursday. “They will open the floodgates to illegal immigration and fraud. Won’t be America anymore,” he added.

Musk was quoting a post from a Conservative influencer who seemingly confirmed that Musk was “going all-in” on funding Republicans this year. The remarks also echoed reports from December that Musk had begun cutting “big checks” for congressional Republicans following a reconciliation dinner with US Vice President JD Vance.  

Musk’s latest stance is being seen as a sharp turn from Musk’s promise last July to plough his billions into a new “America Party” designed to break what he described as a bipartisan consensus in favour of government borrowing.

“When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste and graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,” Musk claimed at the time. “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”

Musk changes his tune

Musk’s plan to form a third party quickly faltered, and by August, the Wall Street Journal was reporting that Vance had persuaded Musk to back off his plans for a third party, causing him to cancel a planned call with political gurus.

On Monday, The Washington Post further detailed Vance’s months-long backroom effort to patch up the relationship between Trump and Musk, though the peace reportedly remains delicate. The two men’s ties explosively unravelled last June after Musk claimed that Trump was covering up his alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and Trump threatened to revoke all Musk’s government contracts.

In September, the two men chatted and shook hands at a memorial service for Charlie Kirk, though Trump was quick to downplay the significance of the moment. Two months after this, Trump was seen giving Musk a friendly pat on the arm at a dinner honouring Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.