Elon Musk on stage with Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.Jim Watson/AFP/Getty

Only a few years agoElon Musk seemed like just another Silicon Valley billionaire with no real political compass. He once described himself as “half-Republican, half-Democrat” and often gave money to candidates from both parties. But all that seemed to change during the Covid-19 pandemic.

That’s when Elon Musk began taking much more right-wing positions on lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and many other controversial political issues, often spreading misinformation in the process.

Today, Musk donated nearly $120 million of his own money to get Donald Trump re-elected. He recently campaigned with Trump at New York’s Madison Square Garden, where he said he wasn’t just MAGA, he was “dark, gothic MAGA.”

In this Reveal additional podcast, host Al Letson talks about Musk’s political evolution with Mother Jones Senior reporter Anna Merlan, who has covered the many ways Musk has attempted to influence the 2024 election.

“There have always been billionaires and titans of industry who got involved in politics,” says Merlan. “But I think the extent of Musk’s involvement is really different because he’s not just a billionaire. It’s not just that he supports Trump. It’s also that he controls a powerful and widespread means of communication.”

Listen in the player above or subscribe to Reveal wherever you get your podcasts.