Here’s how US billionaires and their employees are approaching the 2024 election

With just over a week to go until the US presidential election on November 5, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have ramped up their campaigns in the battleground states, and the latest polls show the race is too close to call.

As the contest for the White House has unfolded, billionaires from Silicon Valley to Wall Street have backed the two candidates with donations, while some have not publicly endorsed either side. Here’s how some of the biggest names – and their employees – have approached this election.

Elon Musk

The Tesla and SpaceX chief executive has given more than US$120 million to back Trump, making Musk one of the largest Republican Party donors.

He has donated US$119 million to support Trump’s campaign through America PAC, a political action group backing the Republican candidate. Another conservative super PAC, or political action committee, the Sentinel Action Fund, also reported receiving US$2.3 million from Musk.

However, the employees of companies owned by Musk have contributed far more to the Harris campaign than to Trump’s, according to Washington-based non-partisan and non-profit group OpenSecrets.

Stephen Schwarzman

The founder of global private equity firm Blackstone Group has endorsed Trump in this election and said his support was a “vote for change”.