Are you registered to vote in one of the US swing states? Then you can participate in the drawing for $1 million – every day until the election.
The short version
- Elon Musk has become one of Donald Trump's biggest donors and is promoting the campaign with financial gifts and messages of support to his many followers.
- Musk gives $1 million a day to a selected voter in a swing state each day as a reward for signing a political petition.
- Lawyers believe Musk's financial gifts may be illegal.
The summary is created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and quality guaranteed by Aftenposten journalists.
It was October 2015, and Elon Musk was wearing a gray jacket that almost matched his chair.
– I interfere as little as possible in politics, he said in one of them Discussion panel About technology sponsored by Vanity Fair.
A few minutes earlier, he said he did not have such strong opinions about American politicians – with one exception.
– I hope Donald Trump does not become the Republican Party's presidential nominee. It won't be good. It would be embarrassing.
It's been nine years, and both Elon Musk and the United States have been through a lot during that time. The world's richest man has now thrown himself into Trump's campaign with tremendous enthusiasm and even greater financial gifts.
The transformation was complete when Musk appeared on stage with Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on October 5 of this year – exactly one month before the presidential election. Musk, who was wearing a black Trump hat, urged everyone to vote for the Republican candidate. He also painted A A scary picture for Democrats.
– They want to take away your freedom of expression. They will take away your right to bear arms. They want to take away your right to vote,” he told a sea of Trump supporters.
Donated NOK 800 million
Today, Elon Musk is one of Donald Trump's biggest donors. Why? Ostensibly, he says he fears for the country's future and that illegal immigration to the United States is ruining the country. Experts say other reasons may be that he believes his companies will do better with Trump as president because he can get lower taxes and more contracts with the Pentagon and companies like Boeing.
In the three-month period between June and September, Musk donated about 800 million Norwegian kroner to America PAC, the organization he founded in May for the Trump campaign.
Musk also posts a steady stream of pro-Trump misinformation and strong claims every day to his 201 million followers on Website X, formerly known as Twitter. The company was renamed after Musk bought it for about NOK 480 billion in 2022.
In recent weeks, Elon Musk has found another way to help Trump: by distributing money directly to voters.
Gives a million daily in the lottery
He first announced that he would give $47 (about 500 Norwegian kroner) in the form of a recruitment bonus. For every voter registered in one of… Swing statesSwing statesState In the United States of America, it is uncertain which candidate will win the election, because the support of the two largest parties is approximately equal. You can sign a petition from America PAC, and you'll get that much money, Musk announced on October 7.
The petition aims to preserve the right to express and bear arms.
Recently, the amount was raised to $100 (1,100 kroner) for every voter in the important swing state of Pennsylvania who can be persuaded to sign this petition.
This weekend, the billionaire went one step further in appealing to Trump voters:
He announced on Saturday that he is giving Million dollars (NOK 11 million) per day until election day on 5 November to one of the registered voters who signed the petition.
The lottery has caused a lot of buzz. Many also wonder if it is legal.
One of these lurkers is the governor of Pennsylvania. Democrat Josh Shapiro said on Meet The Press TV on Sunday that he is “deeply concerned” about the way Musk is courting voters with money. He added that this was perhaps something that needed to be investigated.
– Definitely illegal
Others are more obvious.
– This is clearly illegal, wrote lawyer and election law expert Rick Hasen on the website Election Law Blog.
Hasen points to several violations of US criminal law aimed at preventing corruption in the US electoral system. Although Musk is not asking for anything other than the signature of registered voters on the petition, the lawyer believes that this is actually a way to buy votes.
– Who can sign petitions? Only registered voters in swing states, which makes it illegal, wrote Hasen, a professor at the UCLA School of Law.
Lawyer and author Seth Abramson is also certain that Musk is breaking the law. He believes the billionaire is creating a “national crisis.”
– If Pennsylvania is the battleground state in November, and Trump wins it narrowly, Musk will have left behind physical evidence of the crime he committed to steal the election, he writes. X.
Musk himself expresses that he is dealing with the accusations very calmly.
In a message on X, he commented on Governor Shapiro's statements on Sunday with a smiling face and a raised eyebrow.
Do you have questions about the election campaign? Here you can get the latest news from the 2024 presidential election and ask our reporters questions about anything you might be wondering.
Are you wondering? Who is leading the race for the White House? Here you can get updated status of polls in USA.
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