Musk, who is worth around $280 billion and owns the popular social media platform, X, used his influence and wallet to support the former president on the 2024 campaign trail as a key financial backer and ally working to get the GOP’s message out. And the Tesla CEO’s help was certainly not lost on Trump, who, speaking to a roaring crowd of his supporters in Palm Beach, Florida, declared Musk “an amazing guy.”

“We have a new star, a star is born,” Trump said early on Wednesday, following Fox News projecting that Trump would defeat Vice President Kamala Harris to become the 47th president of the United States. “Elon.”

Every election cycle, Republicans and Democrats benefit from billionaire megadonors who give staggering sums to candidates in order to try to propel them into office. Through complicated lax laws surrounding donations from political action committees and tax-exempt nonprofit groups, so-called “dark money” also plays a pivotal role in the post-Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission campaign finance system. The Supreme Court’s ruling in that case in 2010 opened up the floodgates for corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited sums in elections.

Musk’s involvement in the 2024 election, however, was unprecedented.

He was the main backer of a super PAC that knocked on 11 million doors in battleground states, spending over $175 million, including on digital media advertising, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings. The money was used largely to boost Trump and oppose Harris, though the PAC also supported Republican congressional candidates, some of whom have since been declared as victors.

The super PAC’s activity has not been without legal scrutiny. Dubbed “America PAC,” the organization was greenlit by a Pennsylvania state judge on Monday to continue its giveaway to swing state voters of $1 million after Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat, filed a lawsuit to block the initiative over claims of alleged illegality. The Biden-Harris Justice Department warned America PAC recently that its giveaway could skirt federal rules, but no action has come from prosecutors.

Musk’s involvement in America PAC is notable, particularly because the billionaire has played the star role in its existence beyond just keeping its lights on. He hosted town halls and used his celebrity status to tout Trump’s campaign to voters as an opportunity to break from Democratic rule in Washington and solve issues such as the border crisis.

Musk, 53, spent Tuesday evening with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. During the campaign, he would receive daily reports on early vote totals, according to the New York Times.

“It was significant,” Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX), a Trump ally in Congress, told the Washington Examiner of Musk’s political operation. “I think having him in the Trump administration is a brilliant idea. Brilliant.”

To Republicans, Musk, through his ownership of X, was a bulwark this election against legacy media outlets and cable news channels that conservatives have long said do not represent most of the country.

Musk purchased the platform, formerly called Twitter, in October 2022. Since his takeover, the platform has elevated Trump-allied influencers and seemingly provided a level of incalculable, free advertising for Republicans.

Musk provided a cohort of journalists with documents on then-Twitter’s operations under its former CEO Jack Dorsey — revealing the platform’s communications with the federal government and outside groups about content deletion that conservatives have long criticized over free speech concerns. Called the “Twitter Files,” the documents prompted Republican-led House investigations into alleged censorship and rewarded Musk with right-wing bonafides.

After the first attempted assassination of Trump in Pennsylvania in July, Musk endorsed Trump. From then on, Musk began campaigning for the former president, interviewing him for two hours on X in July. Musk appeared with Trump at other rallies, including at New York City’s Madison Square Garden in October.

Musk, by then a front-facing Trumper, made another significant contribution to Trump. He persuaded Joe Rogan, the most popular podcast host in the world, to support Trump.

“I think it’s a massive vindication for conservatives who are worried that George Soros and Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer can buy elections for the Democrats,” Hayden Ludwig, the director of policy research for the conservative Restoration of America advocacy group, told the Washington Examiner.

Musk’s influence in 2024 shows two things, Ludwig said. One, money is not everything, considering Harris enjoyed far more of it this cycle thanks to ultra-wealthy backers on the Left. But two, wealthy Republicans such as Musk are in a position not only to support candidates financially, but also work in strategic and creative ways to motivate voters.

“We have Elon, Joe Rogan, and a few others to thank for that,” Ludwig said. “It was an enthusiasm gap.”

For now, Musk has landed a valuable spot in Trump’s inner circle. The two have discussed creating a government efficiency board that seeks to reduce federal spending with Musk at the helm. It’s a prospect that, according to some left-leaning watchdogs, could lead to conflicts of interest since Musk’s companies also receive large federal contracts.

On Wednesday, Musk took a victory lap on his platform, X, posting an image of Trump, White, and himself huddled in Florida at a table. In another post, Musk told his followers, “You are the media now.”

Musk is only getting started. America PAC, Musk said on Tuesday evening, will “keep going after this election” to support candidates.

Doing so, Musk insisted, is necessary “to kind of counter the damage that Soros has done to the American system.”

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To John Catsimatidis, a Republican megadonor who has long supported Trump, the election results were the culmination of hard work by Musk and various players who never gave up on Trump as he faced obstacles, including in the legal system.

“He played a contributory factor, like the rest of us,” Catsimatidis told the Washington Examiner on Musk. “America was on the edge of World War III.”