Elon Musk says he won't donate $45 million a month to re-elect Donald Trump after all

Tech billionaire Elon Musk caused a stir when he reportedly committed last week to contribute $45 million a month to America PAC, a group backing former President Donald Trump's re-election effort.

But now it seems he is either changing his mind on that idea — or never intended to commit that much in the first place. While he still plans to back Trump, it won't be that much.

“What’s been reported in the media is simply not true. I am not donating $45 million a month to Trump,” Musk said in an interview over his X platform with Jordan Peterson, the far-right Canadian psychologist and media personality. He went on to say that “I don’t prescribe to [a] cult of personality,” and that America PAC “is not supposed to be a sort of hyperpartisan” group, but rather one that promotes "meritocracy" and "freedom" from “as much government intervention as possible.”

Read also: ‘Killed by the woke mind virus’: Elon Musk bashed for saying his trans kid ‘dead’ to him

In earlier years, Musk spoke in opposition to Trump, calling him a "bull in a china shop." Even after he started turning hard to the right following the COVID pandemic and his acquisition of Twitter in the supposed name of "free speech," he claimed he would not endorse any candidate.

He has since proclaimed he is backing Trump because Democrats promote "censorship," in particular citing a currently-blocked federal lawsuit by the Biden administration against his SpaceX company for warning refugees against applying for their jobs.

In addition to his commitment to give at least some support to Trump, if not $45 million a month, Musk has been accused of interfering with the X platform in Trump's favor. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) has called on the House Oversight Committee to investigate reports that large numbers of people trying to follow Vice President Kamala Harris' new presidential campaign account have been "rate limited" against doing so.

In the same interview with Peterson, Musk provoked outrage yesterday by proclaiming that his own child is "dead to him" and corrupted by the "woke mind virus" for coming out as transgender.