Influence Brief

Scoop: Elon Musk’s X Corp. made a $1 million to Donald Trump’s inauguration. But it wasn’t disclosed until six months later. Here’s how it finally surfaced—and what the filings reveal 🧵

Musk’s $1M wasn’t the only Trump inaugural donation omitted, obscured or corrected: → $2M from a trust tied to Shein’s CEO → $1M from a shell company linked to Erik Prince → $1M first misattributed, later revealed to be from Palantir CEO Alex Karp

Billionaires. Shell companies. Quiet corrections. We dug through filings to follow how Musk’s money is still flowing into politics, and uncovered who actually funded Trump’s second inauguration. The full story: influencebrief.com/p/revealed-elo…

Big donors poured millions into Trump’s inauguration—but key donations were missing, misattributed, or routed through opaque entities. The filings were quietly amended again just days ago. What else hasn’t surfaced?

#ELB: “Revealed: Elon Musk’s $1 Million Gift to Trump Inauguration” electionlawblog.org/?p=151324

Trump's inaugural committee initially failed to disclose a $1M in-kind donation from @ElonMusk's @X, @annalecta notes. influencebrief.com/p/revealed-elo…

#ELB: “Revealed: Elon Musk’s $1 Million Gift to Trump Inauguration” ift.tt/0E5Gpka

"In Donald Trump’s second term, the presidency isn’t just entangled with private interests. Evidently, it’s now being used to advance them." — @annalecta msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-…

President Donald Trump continued profiting off the presidency this week with a stop in Scotland, where he opened a new private golf course. Taxpayers picked up the ~$10 million tab.

I broke down how this trip used the presidency to promote private business interests — and why it matters that Trump is profiting from foreign deals while in the White House. My full piece on @msnbc: 📰 msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-…

@BrennanCenter Multiple mega-donors had clear financial stakes in Trump’s early policies. Some even landed roles in the new administration. Millions of dollars also came from secretive sources and shell companies— including some with ties to foreign interests. We followed the money trail.

My new expert brief with @BrennanCenter is the first full analysis of 2025 inaugural finances that includes amendments revealing key details after the Trump inauguration's initial disclosure. 🔗 brennancenter.org/our-work/resea…

@BrennanCenter "The power of big money in American politics doesn’t stop on Election Day. It shapes priorities and access to the administration from day one." Full @BrennanCenter analysis here: 🔗 brennancenter.org/our-work/resea…

Trump’s 2025 inauguration took more from mega-donors giving $1 million or more than any prior inauguration raised *in total.* That’s not just a record. It’s a turning point. 🧵

New: Trump met with Bukele at the White House today. But what didn’t make the headlines? A $1.5 million foreign lobbying blitz paid for by El Salvador’s government to court Trump’s inner circle. I pulled the receipts:
influencebrief.com/p/the-15-milli…