I mean, the only real difference is that Musk is an idiot and is doing it brazenly. Every election since Citizen's United has been 100% about money, and it's not like it was a non-factor before that.
Rockefeller alone accounted for as much as 3% of the US GDP at one point. That would be like 800 billion today. It's difficult to just draw a straight line of inflation on his net worth from his height to today, because the economy has fundamentally changed since then. Partially because of how fucking ruthless of a motherfucker he was.
Imagine if all cars were electric, and Tesla was ultimately the only source of electricity for everything you own. And Elon basically said if you don't vote for his guy he'll shut off the lights. And had done exactly that before.
Rockefeller, and others like him, also purchased their fair share of elected officials and if you worked for them, it was understood you voted for the guy they wanted. Or there would be consequences.
"I just call it the machine, [the] big government machine,” Musk told attendees of his church rally. “And when the Biden puppet was not working out, they got a new puppet. But it’s still the same machine, obviously,"
It's like he hit adolescence in his late middle age, and is going through his edgy, "deep" phase. All he needs is some eye shadow, trench coat, and black fingernail polish.
That's a very evocative outfit. Maybe he could pose with it, in front of a poster that reads "Liberté" and looks like it was created by a high school art student.
While this is true to a certain extent, it's worth remembering that Musk is a naturalized citizen. The Constitution would have to change for him to actually become president. On the other hand, in the US, it seems money can buy anything these days, so, who knows...