According to a CNN examination of federal campaign records, over three dozen of President-elect Donald Trump's nominees for his future cabinet made donations to either his campaign or the well-funded outside organizations that supported his election.

They include tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has become the 2024 presidential election's greatest revealed political contribution, as well as other Trump associates appointed to important positions across the government.

According to the review, eight of Trump's Cabinet picks—including Linda McMahon, the billionaire wrestling tycoon he appointed to head the Education Department—and their spouses collectively contributed over $37 million from their personal funds to support Trump, highlighting the rise of ultra-rich Americans who will now have the power to influence US policy in the incoming second Trump administration.

Although Musk has not been officially appointed to a Cabinet position, he is assisting in the direction of a new Department of Government Efficiency project and has been instrumental in the presidential transition by sharing his opinions on potential hires, speaking with world leaders, and meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill as he considers ways to reduce the size of the federal government.

The CEO of SpaceX and Tesla contributed over $277 million to federal elections this cycle, with Trump receiving the majority of that amount—more than $262 million. The majority of Musk's pro-Trump funds went to a super PAC that the richest man in the world established to support the Republican Party's voter turnout in crucial swing states.

According to Brendan Glavin, research director of OpenSecrets, a neutral group that studies political money, no one has contributed more to influence federal contests in a single election cycle than self-funded presidential candidates.

Trump’s donors “are not just getting these sort of plum ambassadorships on the side,” Glavin said. “Major donors are getting positions that affect policy.”

Up until Tuesday, five weeks after his election victory, Trump has revealed over 90 candidates for high-level cabinet jobs, according to the CNN study. The analysis of FEC data revealed that over 30 of them had contributed to his campaign or to one of the most prominent outside organizations that support Trump.

"President Trump was joined by millions of Americans who were tired of the federal government and White House failing to bring back the greatness of our country. In answer to CNN's question regarding donors entering the administration, Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the Trump transition team, said in a statement, "There are some people who will work with President Trump who are among those millions of people who supported the campaign and helped the President win a decisive electoral victory."

The total amount donated by Trump's current Cabinet members is higher than it was during his first term. A examination of campaign papers reveals that five members of his original Cabinet had contributed close to $8 million to his committees or to the main outside organizations that backed him.

In the 2016 election, almost 90% of that sum came from donations made by McMahon, who was Trump's SBA administrator throughout his first term in office.

According to FEC records, the amounts donated to support Trump in 2024 much outweigh the contributions made by members of President Joe Biden's Cabinet to help him win the presidency in 2020.

Twelve members of Biden's Cabinet reported contributing less than $100,000 to either his campaign or significant super PACs that were active in the 2020 election.

Spending by government billionaires surpassed that of other backers.

According to the study, McMahon was the biggest donor among Trump's Cabinet picks and the second-most giving member of the government, behind Musk, as of Tuesday.

Make American Great Again, Inc., the primary Trump-affiliated super PAC that aggressively invested in advertising to support his campaign, received the majority of her $21.2 million donation.

Trump has also appointed former Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler to lead the Small Business Administration, Scott Bessent, a hedge fund executive, to lead the Treasury Department, and Howard Lutnick, the head of Cantor Fitzgerald, to be the secretary of commerce. All of these individuals are seven-figure donors.

Another significant donor was Loeffler's husband, Jeff Sprecher, who gave over $2 million to Trump's joint fundraising committee and the pro-Trump MAGA Inc. super PAC.

Speaking with Trump when the president-elect rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, Sprecher is the CEO of the Intercontinental Exchange, which owns the exchange.

In an email, Loeffler's communication director Caitlin O'Dea said, "Senator Loeffler is proud to be one of President Trump's strongest supporters for the same reason a historic landslide of Americans voted to put him back in the White House: he will restore American prosperity, security, and opportunity."

The billionaire hug represents a type of comeback for Trump, who lost the support of corporate America following the deadly attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Additionally, he has received fresh backing from tech executives who are advocating for less federal oversight.

Musk's outrageous election-related expenditures helped Trump overtake his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, who quickly raised $1 billion after taking over as her party's standard-bearer in late July.

Super PACs are theoretically prohibited from coordinating their advertising choices with the candidates they support, but they are not subject to any restrictions on the amount of money they can accept or spend.

However, Musk was able to direct a ground game for Trump when the FEC this year ruled that campaigns could coordinate paid canvassing activities with outside political action groups.

Fred Wertheimer, the chairman of the Democracy 21 watchdog group and a longstanding supporter of political money restrictions, declared, "The campaign finance system is a joke." "The failure of campaign finance laws is now exemplified by Musk."