As billionaire Elon Musk scales back work for U.S. President Donald Trump, he¡¯s laying the groundwork for a major role as a Republican political megadonor in next year¡¯s midterm elections, according to four people with direct knowledge of the matter.

After announcing last week that his cost-cutting role at the White House was mainly done, Musk views his money and his social media platform X as potentially more powerful political tools than his time inside the government, when he became the face of Trump¡¯s shakeup of the federal bureaucracy, one of the people said.

The people said they expect Musk, the world¡¯s richest person, to remain influential with Trump as a political adviser while investing in Republican candidates in next year¡¯s midterms.