House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is reportedly heading to Texas to meet with Elon Musk on Friday as Republicans prepare for a brutal fight to keep control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections.
Because Republicans have apparently decided that pitching their ideas to voters isn’t enough to keep control of Congress. So they’re calling the world’s richest man to help them do what they did in the last election.
The meeting, first reported by POLITICO, comes as Johnson campaigns for Republican candidates across Texas and GOP leaders look for ways to maintain their grip on Capitol Hill.
Four people familiar with the plans confirmed the meeting, although they cautioned that Musk’s schedule remains fluid and the plans could change at the last minute.
Neither side offered much to say about the reported meeting.
Musk is reportedly considering spending at least $100 million through his America PAC during this year’s midterm elections.
And Republicans are hoping some of that money will flow toward the House races that could determine whether Johnson remains speaker.
According to two people familiar with the planning, Musk is considering directing some of his political spending toward key Republican House battleground races.
In Washington, “keeping control of Congress” can come with a rather large price tag.
One person familiar with the scheduled meeting put it bluntly: “Battleground Republicans need Elon’s support and they will always be happy to take a meeting with him.”
Musk spent roughly $290 million backing Donald Trump and other Republicans during the 2024 election, primarily through his super PAC, making him the largest individual donor to political committees in U.S. history.
Musk subsequently took an extraordinary role inside the Trump administration, helping lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Then things got ugly.
Musk and Trump publicly clashed over the president’s massive tax and spending legislation, with the world’s richest man becoming one of Trump’s most vocal critics for a brief period.
The political marriage appeared to have collapsed.
Then, as tends to happen in Washington, they made up.
Musk has continued supporting Republican political operations.
Late last year, he put roughly $5 million each into the Congressional Leadership Fund and Senate Leadership Fund, two major Republican super PACs dedicated to helping preserve GOP control of Congress.
He also contributed $5 million to Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC.
Musk separately gave $10 million to a super PAC supporting Kentucky Senate candidate Nate Morris during the Republican primary and $5 million to V-PAC, which backed former DOGE co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign for governor of Ohio.
Now Republicans want even more. And they aren’t exactly running short on money. So naturally, people are wondering what else they’re looking for.
Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC is sitting on more than $400 million, according to its leaders, who have said the money will be deployed during the fall campaign.
Add the possibility of another $100 million or more from Musk, and Republicans could have an enormous financial arsenal at their disposal as they fight to hold onto Congress.
But money doesn’t guarantee victory. The midterms will come down to competitive House and Senate races across the country, and control of Congress could ultimately be decided by a relatively small number of closely contested districts and states.
That’s why a meeting between Johnson and Musk matters.
Johnson needs Republican candidates to have the resources to compete.
Whether Friday’s meeting produces a massive new infusion of Musk cash, or something else, remains to be seen.
A spokesperson for Musk’s America PAC declined to comment, while a spokesperson for Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
