Elon Musk is obsessed with delivering Pennsylvania for Donald Trump. Here's what he's doing

Fallon Roth, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Oct 11, 2024

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

PHILADELPHIA — In what was said to be Elon Musk’s very first time at a Trump rally, the X CEO jumped for joy on stage in Butler wearing his “dark MAGA” hat before delivering a tactical message to the Pennsylvania audience:

“Register to vote,” he said to cheers on Oct. 5.

But that was just the tip of Musk’s involvement in 2024 Pennsylvania politics.

As Election Day inches closer, the SpaceX founder has further intertwined himself in the race for the White House on an unprecedented level, rooting his pro-Trump strategy in Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground that Musk — and pretty much everyone else — knows is key to a Trump win.

In a Pittsburgh “war room,” Musk has surrounded himself with lawyers, PR pros, canvassing experts, and other allies, attempting to apply business and entrepreneurial chops to his operations as Nov. 5 approaches, The New York Times reported.

And Musk’s message is starting to reach beyond that Western Pennsylvania room. He’s proposed a bus tour across the Commonwealth, taking it upon himself to door knock, partly to see how his financial investments have paid off.

One of those investments takes the form of a petition from Musk’s America PAC where he could spend upward of $47 million. Anyone who signs vows their support for the First and Second Amendments, which could then provide the contacts that allow them to be targeted by Musk’s PAC to vote for Trump. Participants will also receive $47 — the number of the next U.S. president — for each registered voter they refer to sign the petition. Until Oct. 21, when the petition closes, Musk’s goal is to reach 1 million registered swing state voters “to sign in support of the Constitution.” This program is exclusively open to swing state voters.

The first $47 payments were delivered to signees in Philly on Oct. 7.

Trump has commended Musk’s efforts, calling Musk “fantastic” at a rally in Scranton Wednesday.

“He’s going to do a lot. He’s going to be involved,” Trump said. “You know, he’s in Pennsylvania now campaigning, Elon Musk, because he feels so strongly.”

Musk’s support of Trump has come in other incarnations. He hosted a largely unchecked conversation with the former president on X Spaces in August, where Musk noted how Trump’s actions after surviving the July 13 assassination attempt in Butler inspired his endorsement of the former president.

Once a Democratic voter who described standing “in line for six hours to shake (former President Barack) Obama’s hand,” Musk has increasingly waded into conservative politics by sharing unfounded theories, often promoted by Trump or other figures on the right, on X.

One of these theories is set in a small borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania. In September, Musk shared a video on X that vilified Haitian immigrants after Trump and allies baselessly said the community was a burden on local government resources and imported an influx of crime.

X’s artificial intelligence assistant, Grok, was also spreading misinformation regarding Vice President Kamala Harris’ viability on the November ballot in nine states, including Pennsylvania, after President Joe Biden suspended his reelection bid. This garnered a letter from Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt and four other secretaries of state. The issue was eventually addressed.

As the richest man in the world, who grew up in Pretoria, South Africa, and became a U.S. citizen in 2002, Musk has been burnishing his Keystone State cred.

He’s rehashed a photo of his days at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was pursuing his bachelor’s degree in economics and physics, with the caption “Yup, I lived in Pennsylvania for 3 years. I am no stranger to the state.” He waved a “Terrible Towel” at a Steelers-Cowboys game (apparently he’s a fan of both the Steelers and the Eagles), and even touted a recent phone call with Pennsylvania’s popular Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat. (They didn’t discuss politics).

Why did he call Shapiro? Because Musk says he wants to invest in Pennsylvania.