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By Helen Coster and Alexandra Ulmer
(Reuters) – U.S. billionaire Elon Musk has used his X social media platform and his monumental wealth to assist Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s efforts to get reelected, going far past what political megadonors traditionally do.
Musk, 53, who has stated he has voted for Democratic presidential candidates prior to now, has develop into extra publicly right-leaning throughout this election marketing campaign. He endorsed Trump in July and appeared with him in Pennsylvania this month.
If reelected, Trump guarantees to make Musk head of a authorities effectivity fee, a job Musk vows will assist rid the nation of rules he views as unhealthy for the financial system and a deterrent to doing enterprise.
The CEO of Tesla (NASDAQ:) and SpaceX and proprietor of X has hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in authorities contracts and his corporations face vital and at instances expensive authorities rules associated to client and environmental protections.
Neither Musk nor the presidential marketing campaign of Democrat Kamala Harris responded to Reuters requests for remark about Musk’s pro-Trump actions.
Listed here are a number of the methods Musk is supporting Trump.
AMERICA PAC
Musk’s pro-Trump spending group America PAC is taking part in a significant function in serving to mobilize and register voters in battleground states that would determine the election. Musk, ranked by Forbes because the world’s richest particular person, to date has provided no less than $75 million to the political motion committee, in response to federal disclosures.
America PAC spent round $72 million of that complete within the July-September interval, in response to disclosures filed to the Federal Election Fee. That’s greater than some other pro-Trump tremendous PAC centered on turning out voters.
America PAC is struggling in some battleground states to fulfill door-knocking objectives and is investigating claims that some canvassers lied concerning the variety of voters they’ve contacted, Reuters reported final week.
X PLATFORM
Musk has over 202 million followers on the X social media platform, which he purchased for $44 billion in October 2022, when it was often known as Twitter. Since endorsing Trump, he has used the platform to advertise the Republican candidate. A few of his posts unfold misinformation and sow doubt concerning the integrity of the upcoming election.
In July, for instance, he commented on a put up from Republican Home of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, writing: “The aim all alongside has been to import as many unlawful voters as doable,” repeating the false declare that Democrats are deliberately permitting non-citizens into the nation in order that they will vote within the election.
The identical month, he shared a video, generated with synthetic intelligence and manipulating Vice President Harris’ voice, through which Harris, the daughter of a Jamaican father and Indian mom, described herself because the “final variety rent” and criticized President Joe Biden.
Musk has been crucial of variety, fairness and inclusion (DEI) packages meant to spice up racial and ethnic illustration at workplaces, posting in January, for instance, that “DEI is simply one other phrase for racism. Disgrace on anybody who makes use of it.”
X and different social media platforms have been underneath better scrutiny since 2016, when Russia interfered within the U.S. presidential election to attempt to increase Trump’s candidacy and hurt his opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Since Musk’s acquisition of then-Twitter in 2022, civil rights teams have raised considerations over an increase in hate speech and misinformation because of lowered content material moderation.
Underneath X’s present coverage, the platform could “label posts containing deceptive media to assist folks perceive their authenticity and to offer extra context” or take away deceptive posts which have severe danger of hurt.
But researchers say it continues to be a supply of election misinformation, by way of pretend accounts and Musk’s personal amplification of that content material.
MILLION-DOLLAR GIVEAWAYS
Musk can be promising to offer $1 million every day to randomly chosen individuals who signal his on-line petition pledging to assist the First and Second amendments of the U.S. Structure, which shield the rights to free speech and gun possession. The petition is barely open to signatories who’re registered voters in seven battleground states more likely to determine the presidential election.
The petition falls right into a grey space of election legislation, and authorized consultants are divided about whether or not Musk could possibly be operating afoul of prohibitions on paying folks to register to vote. Critics say it’s a ploy to assist drum up assist for Trump.
America PAC has been publishing promotional video interviews and pictures of people that have gained the $1 million giveaways on Musk’s X, the place they garner hundreds of thousands of views. Petition signers want to offer their deal with and cellphone quantity, suggesting they may then be contacted by America PAC door-knockers.
CAMPAIGN BARNSTORMING
Musk joined Trump at an Oct. 5 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the scene of a July assassination try towards the Republican candidate, and returned to the state for added marketing campaign stops lower than two weeks later.
Whereas touring in Pennsylvania, Musk made a string of false claims about election fraud, a few of them echoing these made by Trump the final 4 years.
He additionally inspired folks to make use of his X platform to shine a highlight on potential election dishonest.
“If folks suppose there is a fraud, then they need to put up the photographs, put up the movies, put up the proof,” he stated.
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