Elon Musk
Elon Musk
Elon Musk has reignited debate over the influence of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), calling for their removal in a post on X on Sunday.
The SpaceX chief, who also owns a 12 per cent stake in Tesla, shared a report questioning the fundraising platform ActBlue and its alleged ties to Democratic donors.
“Delete the NGOs,” Musk wrote, sharing the report, which outlined concerns over ActBlue’s financial activities, including allegations that it was a money-laundering operation to funnel USAID money to the Democrats.
Delete the NGOs https://t.co/NUlhq6IIeZ
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 9, 2025
The report also highlighted key questions: Why did ActBlue’s small-dollar donations dry up as soon as USAID funding was cut off? Why did the organisation’s top seven executives resign?
For years, the Democrats have maintained a significant fundraising advantage, with ActBlue playing a central role. The platform operates as a pseudo-payment processor, allowing Democratic donors to store their payment details and make political contributions with ease — claims that have been raised by Republican lawmakers and critics of the organisation.
This system enables one-click or two-click donations, as well as recurring monthly contributions.
But serious concerns have been raised about the nature of donations flowing through ActBlue. Republican lawmakers, including Florida Senator Marco Rubio, have questioned how some individuals — particularly senior citizens — were listed as making thousands of contributions without their knowledge.
These cases have fuelled suspicions of a possible “straw donor” scheme, where donations are attributed to unsuspecting individuals.
Attorneys general in Virginia, Missouri, Wyoming, and Texas have all launched investigations into reports showing a similar pattern: single donors contributing to Democratic campaigns at suspiciously high volumes and frequencies.
Musk has previously alleged that ActBlue-funded organisations were behind recent protests against Tesla.
In a post on X, he claimed: “An investigation has found 5 ActBlue-funded groups responsible for Tesla ‘protests’: Troublemakers, Disruption Project, Rise & Resist, Indivisible Project, and Democratic Socialists of America. ActBlue funders include George Soros, Reid Hoffman, Herbert Sandler, Patricia Bauman, and Leah Hunt-Hendrix.”
Musk has accused Soros, Hoffman, and ActBlue of orchestrating demonstrations targeting his companies, referring to an unspecified “investigation” into their involvement. He further claimed that ActBlue is currently under investigation for accepting foreign and illegal donations in violation of campaign finance regulations.
“This week, 7 ActBlue senior officials resigned, including the associate general counsel,” Musk wrote.
Musk’s allegations have been widely circulated by right-wing influencers. He reposted a tweet by blogger Mario Nawfal, who echoed Musk’s claims about ActBlue, Soros, and Hoffman.
Nawfal’s post vaguely cited X, the New York Post, and conservative outlet BizPac Review as sources. But the BizPac Review article only referenced Musk’s claims, while reports from the New York Post about Tesla protests did not attribute them to ActBlue, Soros, or Hoffman.
There is no verified evidence linking Soros or Hoffman to the Tesla protests. While both billionaires are known Democratic donors and have ties to ActBlue, no independent investigations have confirmed their involvement in recent demonstrations against Musk’s companies.
Over the past two decades, ActBlue has facilitated more than $16 billion in donations.
A day before his “Delete the NGOs” post, Musk had already signalled his scepticism about ActBlue, writing on X: “Something stinks about ActBlue.”
His latest comments come at a time when he is facing financial setbacks. Musk’s net worth has dropped by more than $120 billion from its December peak of $464 billion, as Tesla’s stock price struggles amid fears over President Donald Trump’s tariffs.