Elon Musk’s money is ‘the reason we won,’ Trump ally Steve Bannon says – Step-by-Step

According to a longtime GOP strategist and ally of President-elect Donald Trump, Elon Musk’s massive financial contributions are the reason he will become the 47th president of the United States.

Steve Bannon, who served as chief strategist for the first seven months of the first Trump administration, told Puck on Tuesday that Musk’s “not sexy” work was the key to Trump’s victory in key swing states. Despite disagreeing with the Tesla (TSLA-1.59%) and SpaceX CEO on “some things,” which he didn’t elaborate on, Bannon said Musk has earned a seat at the table.

“Look, he stroked a $150 million check for the ground game, which is not sexy, at the exact moment we needed it,” the “War Room” host said. “He came in with the money and the professionals. To be brutally frank, it’s the reason we won.”

Bannon also pointed to the contributions of donors like Miriam Adelson, who donated about $100 million to help Trump’s efforts, and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk.

During the election, Musk’s recently-formed America PAC spent an estimated $200 million to help elect Trump, the Associated Press reported. America PAC raised $130 million between April and mid-October, according to campaign finance filings, most of which came from Musk.

The group, which was also backed by a number of tech and venture capital leaders, worked primarily on advertisements and get-out-the-vote work in battleground states, such as Nevada and Pennsylvania, although not without controversy. One advertisement openly leaned into sexist attacks on Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, while his canvassing operation in Michigan has been accused of engaging in shady behavior.

A class-action lawsuit has been filed over an alleged failure to reimburse business expenses and providing inaccurate wage statements, while at least three lawsuits have been filed over America PAC’s $1 million-a-day giveaway stunts.

With the election in the rear-view, Musk has been more than willing to take a seat at Trump’s table.

He’s sat in on many of Trump’s meetings and meals since the election, including those with foreign ambassadors and candidates for the new administration, sat ringside with Trump at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (EDR+0.50%), watched his SpaceX’s rocket launch alongside the president-elect, and had reportedly heated arguments with other advisors. Several of Trump’s latest appointees are favored by Musk, including his pick to lead the Federal Communications Commission.

Musk will also lead the undefined “outside of government” Department of Government Efficiency alongside billionaire entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. They will work alongside House and Senate Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgie and Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, as well as federal agencies.

DOGE, a reference to Musk’s favorite cryptocurrency of the same name, aims to slash trillions in government spending and wants to “delete” some federal agencies. Musk has proposed getting rid of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, while Ramaswamy mentioned cutting the IRS, FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco on the campaign trail. Trump and other Republicans also want to scrap the Department of Education.

“He’s looking at very fundamental things we have to do to basically reorganize the administrative state. Elon’s doing things that are not sexy. He’s doing things that are not glamorous,” Bannon told Puck. “I think he’s earning the respect of the president.”