The world’s richest man is offering individuals in swing states the chance to win $1 million if they sign his political-action committee’s petition advocating First Amendment and Second Amendment rights.
Musk revealed the $1 million daily offering during a town hall in Pennsylvania. His America PAC gave its first $1 million check to a Trump supporter who attended the event.
“Every day, from now through Nov 5, @America PAC will be giving away $1M to someone in swing states who signed our petition to support free speech & the right to bear arms!” Musk said on X, the social-media platform he owns.
“We want to make sure that everyone in swing states hears about this and I suspect this will ensure they do.”
Every day, from now through Nov 5, @America PAC will be giving away $1M to someone in swing states who signed our petition to support free speech & the right to bear arms!
We want to make sure that everyone in swing states hears about this and I suspect this will ensure they do.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 20, 2024
Polls place former president Donald Trump in a dead heat against Vice President Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, three Rust Belt states crucial for winning the upcoming election. The three states are also home to competitive Senate races in which both parties are pouring large sums of money.
Musk endorsed Trump in July, after the former president survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pa. Since then, Musk has become increasingly proactive in his push to elect Trump and speaks about the 2024 presidential election in maximalist, almost apocalyptic terms. If he wins the election, Trump promises to put Musk in charge of a government commission tasked with investigating government bloat and inefficiency.
It remains to be seen whether Musk follows through on the unprecedented offer. Critics will likely contend that it violates campaign-finance laws and merits scrutiny from the Federal Election Commission.
The petition is only open to registered voters, and the lucrative reward could be considered a financial incentive to register. It is currently a federal crime to bribe someone into voting or registering to vote. America PAC had been offering much smaller amounts of money to voters from Pennsylvania and other swing states who signed the petition.
One way Musk’s America PAC is contributing to Trump’s ground game is by registering and turning out swing-state voters. Over the past few months, Musk has poured $75 million into America PAC, making him one of the largest political donors of this election cycle.
Musk frequently posts on X about a wide range of political issues and his support for Trump. Free speech is an important issue for Musk and a major reason why he purchased Twitter and loosened the speech restrictions that had been imposed on the platform by its old management. He subsequently rebranded the platform “X” and reinstated Trump’s account, which had been banned following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Unprecedented levels of illegal immigration under the Biden administration and the possibility of noncitizens’ voting are issues Musk considers existential threats to America’s future. Another topic Musk discusses regularly is the “woke mind virus,” the phrase he uses to describe progressive stances on issues ranging from diversity programs to transgender procedures.
Musk is a proponent of reducing government regulations to foster innovation, and he believes the Biden administration’s slew of investigations against his companies are politically motivated. Trump will almost certainly reduce the regulatory scrutiny on Musk’s businesses if he wins a second presidential term.
Trump returned to Butler, Pa., for a rally earlier this month, and Musk delivered a speech during the rally while sporting a “dark MAGA” hat, a reference to a popular pro-Trump online meme. Musk has interviewed Trump on X about what the former president plans to do during a second term.