With recent news of Elon Musk becoming the world’s first trillionaire, the question of the split between politics and economics seems to have withered, becoming two sides of the same coin, especially after Elon officially endorsed Trump for a second term on July 13, 2024. At the time, his net worth was “only” $249.8 billion, and he donated $259 million to the Trump campaign that year. Buying political access is a major way Elon has gained his wealth, fusing the two spheres of politics and economics. Elon has not only aligned with Trump economically but also ideologically, both having histories of exploiting workers in general, of all races and creeds, but the scope of this article is black people specifically.
This donation is a prerequisite for access to the state and its economic leverage. Elon was the head of the government organizationDOGE for 4 months earlier in Trump’s second term, which gave him high-level government access. During this time frame, with that “donation” to Trump’s campaign of around 0.1% of his net worth at the time, we saw his wealth skyrocket monthly by 100 billion or more. Most notably, in November 2025, when his1 trillion dollar payment deal was approved by shareholders, then again with his company SpaceX, he had his first IPO (Initial Public Offering, or when a privately held company first sells shares of its stock to the public), raising his net worth to 1.1 trillion.
It’s clear that through the logic of political economy, political “donations” can be seen as an investment for the ruling class. Not an investment in the one-to-one sense, as in a direct monetary return, but in the ability that it gives Elon a high level of political access, contracts with the government, and proximity to power.
One of the latest examples is Trump’s diplomatic trip to China, where he essentially Trojan-horsed Elon and other Tech Billionaires into meetings with top Chinese officials and CEOs, strong-arming China by using American political power as leverage for partnerships. All of which shows how he uses this access to shape the very conditions in which his wealth is gained.
Anti-blackness is at the Epicenter of Elon’s Ventures
Former Tesla employee Raina Pierce claimed a manager would greet her with terms such as “welcome to the plantation” or “welcome to the slave house”. As well as the treatment of Owen Diaz. Tesla was found liable for ignoring the racial abuse Diaz faced, seeing the N-Word and swastikas written on walls, and being called racial slurs by other employees. Even Tesla’s batteries have Congolese miners’ blood and tears, some from children who mine in inhumane conditions, the cobalt needed for lithium, the base of electric batteries.
Further examples of Elon’s Anti-Blackness can be seen in the changes at X, formerly Twitter. A Study released by PLOS One showed that hate speech increased by 50% after he bought it. As well as X’s AI Grok having within rules, “Treat users as adults and do not moralize or lecture the user if they ask something edgy”, which has in the past called itself “Mecha Hitler,” and the building of data centers bypassing norms for regulation in the predominantly black community in Memphis.
It can be argued that the fusion of Trump and Elon’s ideologies can be seen in the stopping of U.S. admissions of refugees, with the sole exception being White South Africans. Last month, all 599 refugees admitted to the US were White South Africans. Furthermore, since October 1, 2025, 6,665 of the 6,668 refugees admitted into the U.S. were White South Africans. Only 3 Afghan refugees were admitted in this time frame, and this was the only time non-White South Africans were admitted.
In many ways, Elon Musk reflects the reality of living solely to gain profit. It is no surprise that Elon Musk became the world’s first Trillionaire, given his laundry list of anti-blackness throughout his career and his deeply entangled connections with the President, both within and outside the White House. Elon is a clear representation of the logic of extra wealth accumulation and the exploitation that follows it.
Jordan Green, a college graduate with a degree in computer science and a minor in political science with a focus on contemporary international and domestic politics, as well as technology and Black culture.