Maga Thaw? Why Elon Musk is shelving third-party dreams - and will back JD Vance instead

Musk’s involvement in the 2024 election extended far beyond flashy endorsements. His America PAC poured nearly $300 million into the battleground states, leveraging advanced messaging strategies and the reach of X to engineer strategic voter influence. While Trump commanded the stage, Musk controlled the backstage, shaping narrative arcs with precision. That campaign muscle powered by Silicon Valley optics helped catapult JD Vance, then Trump’s running mate, into the vice presidency. Musk’s campaign infrastructure evolved into a potent political tool, forging a bond with Vance that is equal parts ideology and necessity.