The political action committee that Elon Musk funded to the tune of more than $200 million on behalf of President Donald Trump launched a television advertisement this week lauding the first weeks of the administration in which the Tesla CEO is serving.
America PAC began airing an ad nationally and in Washington, D.C., declaring that with former President Joe Biden's departure, “our long national nightmare is finally over, and with Trump, “America is back.”
The 60-second spot hails Trump's moves on immigration, energy and “slashing billions in waste at home,” a nod to the purge of the federal workforce Musk has led as head of the Department of Government Efficiency. The ad is heavy on patriotic imagery, with a soundtrack of swelling brass and images of Trump saluting military and greeting supporters.
Rarely if ever has a White House adviser funded an outside organization promoting his accomplishments. It's the latest example of Musk's singular role in American politics, leading an effort to shutter agencies and fire thousands of workers inside the Trump administration while promoting the president's politics outside.
Another Musk-funded group, Building America's Future, is underwriting ads in the race to fill a potentially decisive seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The April 1 election for that judgeship is likely to be the first major test of both Republican and Democratic influence since Trump's victory in November. The same group ran ads last year, including one aimed at Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, urging confirmation of Trump's secretary of defense nominee Pete Hegseth.
Musk has endorsed the idea of supporting primary challenges for Republicans who waver in their support for Trump's Cabinet and agenda.
Though America PAC's ad focuses squarely on Trump, Musk figures prominently, seen holding his young son X and looking on as Trump speaks during an Oval Office briefing.
The spot also features a clip taken last week of Trump sitting alongside Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a testy meeting between the two over U.S. support for the country's fight against Russia's 2022 invasion.
During the clip, the narrator states Trump is “returning power to our military as he seeks to stop the endless wars across the globe.”
America PAC is “out with its first ever TV ad, airing across the country this week following @realDonaldTrump’s joint address to Congress,” America PAC spokesman Andrew Romeo said in a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter before Musk purchased it.
America PAC last year spent aggressively on digital and in-person efforts in several states to reach and urge less-frequent voters to vote. The group hired canvassing firms to knock on doors and engage voters in key precincts in battleground states to motivate Trump-friendly voters.
Whether or not the effort made the difference against Democrat Kamala Harris, Trump did carry all seven battleground states, where contractors for Musk's group were active in canvassing voters.
Trump has given Musk wide-ranging access to the administration's inner workings, beyond the effort to shrink the federal workforce and agency spending with which he has been specifically tasked.
Musk has also been privy to talks with administration nominees and, last week, joined Trump at his first Cabinet meeting.
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