Elon Musk announced he was giving away $1 million a day in an attempt to buy the goodwill of swing-state voters. The scheme, announced at the America PAC event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was another piece of Musk’s bigger project: to boost voter registration and support for America PAC, his pro-Trump political action committee, ahead of the election.
Musk plans to randomly select registered voters who sign his PAC’s petition and reward them with $1 million day after day leading up to Election Day.
“I think it’s kind of fun, and you know, it seems like a good use of money,” Musk said during the event, describing a casual yet strategic endeavor. That personal net worth of nearly $250 billion doesn’t make Musk a stranger to very high-profile initiatives; this one, however, is his most direct into political influence.
Musk’s speaking tour, which kicked off in Pennsylvania, has a heavily emphasized voter registration drive in seven key swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Of these, Pennsylvania-which Musk labeled the “linchpin” of the election-is most integral to his plan. During his Harrisburg speech, Musk invited John Dreher, a petition signer, up on stage and handed him a giant check representing the cash prizes of participants.
“The deadline is Monday night,” Musk reminded attendees, underlining the need for urgency that the period to register voters in Pennsylvania was almost shut.
It is not all smooth sailing for Musk, though. To this end, election law expert Rick Hasen has alluded to the potential violations of law. He specifically pointed to federal laws that forbid paying for voting or voter registration of any kind. Per Hasen, what Musk is doing might run afoul of regulations designed to bar the sale of votes or influence through monetary means.
Certain things in this country can be sold, and certain things we have decided should not be for sale,” Hasen said in an interview with CNBC. He added that Musk’s approach could distort the political process by using wealth to sway voter behavior. Musk has not said anything himself about the possible legal consequences, but the threat of fines or even imprisonment is hanging over him in case authorities decide he has breached election law.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro also weighed in, calling Musk’s scheme “deeply troubling” during an interview on Sunday. Shapiro said the initiative could be subject to an investigation from law enforcement-a further layer of uncertainty for Musk’s audacious give away.
Beyond legal implications, Musk used the speaking appearances to tee up his political perspective, which sounded many of the same talking points of former President Donald Trump. Musk mentioned his support for a government efficiency commission, as proffered by Trump, positioning himself as key to eradicating bureaucratic waste, he perceives them to be.
“We should not trust the government, really. Even if I’m in the government, don’t trust the government,” Musk said, knowing full well the audience consisted of people seemingly mistrustful of federal agencies. His onslaughts continued against government regulations he said have stood in the way of SpaceX, his aerospace company. Musk attacked agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Communications Commission for what he described as overreach rules. He mentioned a $140,000 fine levied on SpaceX for environmental violations and ridiculed NOAA Fisheries for seeking studies on how SpaceX rockets may impact fish. “It’s a big ocean, you know, there’s a lot of sharks,” Musk told the audience.
Musk also lashed out at President Biden and Vice President Harris as disposable “puppets” and complained of perceived snubs, such as excluding Tesla from a White House electric vehicle summit. His comments about the Biden administration reflect his decade’s-long opposition to government overreach and unionization campaigns, which align with Trump’s stance on deregulation.