What's at stake for Elon Musk in the presidential election?

Elon Musk, nan world's richest person, has launched a far-reaching effort to thief elite erstwhile President Donald Trump.

Musk, who owns X, often posts messages successful support of Trump connected nan societal media platform, wherever he boasts much than 202 cardinal followers. At Trump rallies, Musk has occasionally appeared connected shape to make an impassioned plea for votes. He has besides donated astir $75 cardinal successful support of Trump complete a three-month play ending successful September, authorities filings show.

Even more, Musk precocious began a regular $1 cardinal giveaway to registered voters successful battleground states. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner subsequently sued Musk for allegedly conducting an forbidden lottery.

To participate nan sweepstake, individuals must motion a petition circulated by Musk's America PAC that pledges support for nan First and Second Amendment. The only group eligible to motion are registered voters successful 7 cardinal plaything states, nan America PAC website says.

Attorneys for Musk denied nan DA's claims of illegality and revenge documents connected Wednesday seeking to move nan lawsuit to national court. The regular lotteries are ongoing.

Musk, who leads Tesla and SpaceX, appears to align pinch Trump connected a big of issues, including wide deportation and deregulation. But nan predetermination besides holds important implications for Musk's companies, galore of which do business pinch nan U.S. authorities and look disputes pinch national agencies.

"The narration that Elon Musk has pinch nan national authorities is unprecedented," Stephen Diamond, a professor astatine Santa Clara University Law School who specializes successful firm governance and securities law, told ABC News.

ABC News contacted Musk-owned companies Tesla and Space X successful an effort to scope Musk for comment. He did not instantly respond. Musk's America PAC besides did not respond to a petition for comment.

Here's what's astatine liking for Musk successful nan 2024 election:

Government contracts worthy billions

A big of Musk-run firms do business pinch nan U.S. authorities aliases person national support.

"You're talking billions of dollars a year," Richard Pierce, a rule professor astatine George Washington University who focuses connected authorities regulation, told ABC News astir Musk's business dealings. "The president has tremendous discretionary powerfulness complete authorities contracts."

SpaceX, an aerospace company, counts nan U.S. arsenic a cardinal client. In June, NASA awarded SpaceX $843 cardinal to build a conveyance that would assistance successful taking nan International Space Station retired of orbit. As precocious arsenic past week, nan U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX pinch much than $700 cardinal to thief pinch a bid of launches complete nan coming years.

Tesla has besides received contracts from nan Defense Department and nan Transportation Department, among different agencies.

In all, SpaceX and Tesla person received astatine slightest $15.4 cardinal successful authorities contracts complete nan past decade, a New York Times study found.

Tesla has besides benefited from billions successful national subsidies. Since 2018, Tesla has received $9 cardinal successful specified authorities support, according to a Reuters study of securities filings. The costs person chiefly stemmed from a programme that rewards manufacturers for exceeding c emissions limits.

"Musk is intertwined financially pinch nan national government," Diamond said.

A request for friendlier regulators

Musk-led companies are presently locked successful an array of disputes pinch national agencies and regulators.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has embarked upon respective probes of Tesla complete alleged dangers associated pinch Tesla's self-driving capability. Earlier this month, nan NHTSA announced a caller investigation regarding nan system's expertise to navigate conditions of "reduced roadway visibility."

According to Tesla's website, "The presently enabled Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (Supervised) features require progressive driver supervision and do not make nan conveyance autonomous."

Meanwhile, nan National Labor Relations Board has revenge aggregate complaints against SpaceX complete nan position of a severance statement arsenic good arsenic nan alleged forbidden termination of labor who wrote a missive to guidance criticizing Musk.

A Model X sports-utility conveyance sits extracurricular a Tesla shop successful Littleton, Colo., June 18, 2023.

David Zalubowski/AP

SpaceX sued nan NLRB successful January claiming that its administrative hearings break nan U.S. Constitution. In nan lawsuit, attorneys for SpaceX alleged that proceedings astatine nan NLRB involving in-house judges "deprive [SpaceX] of its law correct to proceedings by jury."

The missive criticizing Musk "caused important distraction to SpaceX labor astir nan country," nan suit said. Some labor progressive pinch nan missive were terminated "for violating galore institution policies," nan suit added.

In July, a national judge successful Texas temporarily blocked nan NLRB complaints while nan company's law situation makes its measurement done nan courts. The judge did not supply nan reasoning for his decision, but specified an bid requires a uncovering that nan plaintiff will apt prevail successful his aliases her case, Reuters reported.

Federal agencies execute laws enacted by Congress, but enforcement decisions dangle mostly connected directives and unit decisions made by nan sitting president, Pierce said. In turn, he added, nan predetermination holds important implications for Musk successful this area.

"The agencies are controlled by nan president, and truthful nan president tin show nan heads of nan agencies to 'do this aliases do that,'" Pierce added. "They of people person statutory boundaries but they do what nan president tells them to do."

In August, Trump praised Musk for his willingness to occurrence striking workers. "You're nan top cutter," Trump told Musk during an question and reply connected X. "I look astatine what you do. You locomotion successful and say, 'You want to quit?' I won't mention nan sanction of nan institution but they spell connected onslaught and you say, 'That's OK. You're each gone.'"

The Trump run said support from Musk and different entrepreneurs underscores nan spot of nan candidate's economical plans.

"President Trump's schedule includes economic, power and regulatory policies that will let nan US to reclaim its world power of invention and technology. When you person dozens of manufacture leaders for illustration Elon Musk and David Sacks among nan agelong database of supporters, it is simply a nickname that President Trump is nan clear choice," Brian Hughes, a elder advisor to nan Trump campaign, told ABC News successful a statement.

A perchance monolithic taxation break

Musk could guidelines to use from a ample taxation trim if Trump wins nan election.

The taxation savings whitethorn consequence from a projected scheme from Trump successful which Musk would return a domiciled successful nan Trump management arsenic caput of a caller "government ratio commission." Since Musk's companies do important business pinch nan national government, Musk whitethorn beryllium required to waste nan stakes he holds successful nan various firms.

Under specified circumstances, Musk would apt avail himself of conception 1043 of nan national taxation code, which allows an individual to put disconnected each superior gains taxes connected nan waste of specified assets.

Enacted successful 1992, this portion of taxation rule aimed to little nan imaginable costs faced by able group erstwhile deciding to subordinate nan national government, Edward McCaffery, a rule professor astatine nan University of Southern California who focuses connected taxation policy, told ABC News.

If he joined nan Trump administration, Musk would go nan wealthiest personification to ever make usage of nan provision. The taxation break could prevention Musk tens of billions of dollars, according to The Lever, which first reported nan imaginable benefit.

Despite nan monolithic imaginable taxation savings, Musk whitethorn effort to circumvent nan request aliases forgo a awesome domiciled successful nan administration, McCaffrey said. Musk whitethorn not want to springiness up his holdings successful companies complete which he holds tight control, nor would it beryllium appealing for Musk to speech fast-growing banal holdings pinch nan less-attractive investments permitted by law.

"There are reasons to beryllium skeptical," McCaffrey said. "I don't get immoderate glimmer that Musk wants to springiness up power of Tesla aliases SpaceX."

ABC News' Ayesha Ali contributed to this report.