Unusual alliance

Musk, Thiel & Co: Donald Trump and the IT tycoons

Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, pumped tens of millions of US dollars into the Trump campaign. For him, it's peanuts, the potential benefits outweigh the costs.(Bild: AP)

February 2024 in the US state of Florida: 81-year-old billionaire Nelson Peltz invites equally wealthy acquaintances to his beach house. Over shrimp and lobster, 20 fabulously rich people and a handful of Republican Party strategists debate how they could enable Donald Trump to return to the White House.

Nelson Peltz's 334-million-dollar mansion was not just filled with people who traditionally support the Republican Party. Hedge fund managers, a casino operator and a representative of the party leadership were joined by heavyweights who had previously officially condemned Trump's call to storm the US Capitol - and someone who had not necessarily appeared to be an ardent supporter of a political movement in the past or had shown much interest in US politics at all: Elon Musk.