Richard Uihlein

• Net Worth: ~$4 billion
  
  

• Key Activities:
  
  

  • Major donor to far-right candidates and causes through his company Uline.
    
    

  • Supports Club for Growth, Tea Party Patriots, and FreedomWorks.
    
    

  • Funded pro-Trump and election-denial aligned groups post-2020.
    
    

Notable Influence: Uihlein is one of the largest individual political donors in the U.S., particularly to hardline conservative candidates.

Rebekah Mercer & the Mercer Family

• Net Worth (Family): Estimated in billions; source of wealth from hedge fund Renaissance Technologies
  
  

• Key Activities:
  
  

  • Co-founded Cambridge Analytica, used in the 2016 Trump campaign.
    
    

  • Major backer of Breitbart News and Steve Bannon.
    
    

  • Supports the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society.
    
    

Notable Influence: Played a pivotal role in Trump’s 2016 election strategy and in promoting nationalist/populist conservatism.

Peter Thiel

• Net Worth: ~$9 billion
  
  

• Key Activities:
  
  

  • Co-founder of PayPal and Palantir; early Facebook investor.
    
    

  • Major donor to populist Republicans, including J.D. Vance and Blake Masters.
    
    

  • Critic of "woke capitalism" and higher education establishment.
    
    

Notable Influence: Backed a new generation of anti-establishment, tech-savvy conservative candidates.

Ken Griffin

• Net Worth: ~$30 billion
  
  

• Key Activities:
  
  

  • CEO of Citadel, a hedge fund.
    
    

  • Major donor to traditional GOP candidates and causes (e.g., Ron DeSantis, Marco Rubio).
    
    

  • More moderate than some others listed, occasionally critical of Trump.
    
    

Notable Influence: Supports pro-business, fiscally conservative policies.

Jeff Yass

• Net Worth: ~$28 billion
  
  

• Key Activities:
  
  

  • Co-founder of Susquehanna International Group.
    
    

  • Major libertarian donor, supports Club for Growth, and school choice efforts.
    
    

  • Funds political candidates through PACs with a focus on deregulation and tax reform.
    
    

Notable Influence: Behind the scenes, highly influential in conservative-libertarian political spending.

Elon Musk 

is a bit diferent, but he operates differently from traditional political donors like Koch or Mercer. Here’s a breakdown of his influence:

1. Not a Major Political Donor—But Still Politically Powerful

• Musk has made relatively limited direct political donations, and historically supported both parties.
  
  

• His influence comes more from his public platform, corporate decisions, and media ownership (especially Twitter/X).
  
  

2. Public Persona and Platform Influence

• Since acquiring Twitter (now X) in 2022, Musk has given major visibility to conservative, libertarian, and anti-"woke" voices.
  
  

• He frequently engages with right-leaning commentators (e.g., Tucker Carlson, Libs of TikTok, The Babylon Bee).
  
  

• Uses his personal brand (and 180M+ Twitter followers) to shape public discourse on free speech, DEI, immigration, climate, and censorship.
  
  

3. Ideological Alignment

• Free speech absolutism: Critic of moderation policies on social media platforms; aligns with conservative/libertarian concerns about censorship.
  
  

• Anti-woke rhetoric: Frequently criticizes DEI initiatives, gender identity politics, and left-leaning cultural norms.
  
  

• Economic conservatism: Advocates for minimal government intervention, especially in business and taxation.
  
  

• COVID skepticism: Opposed lockdowns and mandates; this resonated with many on the right.
  
  

4. Influence on Policy and Politics

• Interacted directly with GOP leaders (e.g., met with House Republicans and tweeted support for certain Republican candidates).
  
  

• Musk has hinted at supporting Ron DeSantis and endorsed centrist or anti-Biden sentiments.
  
  

• Though not fully aligned with Trump, Musk has amplified voices that support Trump-era populism.
  
  

Summary

While not a traditional megadonor, Elon Musk’s control over a global communication platform (X), his cult of personality, and his anti-establishment rhetoric make him one of the most culturally and politically influential figures on the American right—particularly among younger or internet-native conservatives.

Would you like me to add him to the visual network with his unique influence nodes?