Elon Musk’s PAC has been giving away a $1 million prize every day to a random registered voter in one of several swing states who sign a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments. The organization has also promised $47 to every registered voter who signs the petition. But it was reported yesterday that the Justice Department warned the group that the activity could be violating federal election law, and now it appears the giveaway has abruptly stopped.
Axios reports that Musk’s America PAC, as the pro-Trump group is called, curiously did not announce a winner of the $1 million prize on Wednesday.
Critics have said Musk’s giveaway was a thinly-veiled attempt at buying votes for Trump. The youth turnout in the U.S. is historically low, and the $1 million giveaway was only open to registered voters in states like Pennsylvania that could go to either candidate, suggesting that Musk was attempting to encourage the disillusioned to register—and return the favor of his giveaway by tipping the vote in Trump’s favor. Musk’s PAC
The timing of the Justice Department’s warning was somewhat fortuitous for Musk. Voter registration closes in Pennsylvania—where he has been campaigning hard for Trump—15 days before the election, or October 21. So, Musk doesn’t really stand to gain much by continuing the giveaway at this point, and can stop doing it under the guise of the DOJ warning. He probably even considers the warning a relief.
Musk has spoken about a potential Harris administration in increasingly alarmist terms, suggesting he would be thrown in prison if she wins the White House, and that “humanity will never reach Mars” under her guidance. These dark claims come despite the fact that Musk’s companies have grown tremendously under the Biden administration, with both SpaceX and Tesla receiving enormous support from the federal government and achieving momentous feats, such as the recent “chopstick” Starship landing. Yesterday, Tesla reported earnings for Q3 2024 which included a windfall of $739 million in straight profit from selling EV tax credits to other automakers. Those tax credits, of course, are government incentives meant to grow the EV industry.
Things at his privately held social media company are going less well.
If we’re being honest, his hatred towards Harris and the Democratic party probably comes down to President Biden excluding him from the White House EV summit.
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