Tesla CEO and X proprietor Elon Musk, who helps Republican presidential nominee former U.S. President Donald Trump, gestures as he speaks about voting throughout an America PAC City Corridor in Folsom, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 17, 2024.
Rachel Wisniewski | Reuters
Elon Musk mentioned Saturday that he would randomly award $1 million a day to registered voters who signal a petition for his pro-Trump political motion committee in an effort to get his followers in swing states to the polls.
Talking at an America PAC occasion in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Musk mentioned, “I’ve a shock for you,” including that the prize cash is accessible “daily from now till the election.”
Musk then known as up a person named John Dreher, who he mentioned was one of many petition signees in attendance, and handed him a large verify.
“I believe assume is type of enjoyable, and , it looks as if an excellent use of cash mainly,” mentioned the Tesla CEO, who’s price nearly $250 billion.
Musk, who can also be CEO of protection contractor SpaceX and proprietor of social media platform X, launched into a talking tour in Pennsylvania to drive voter registration in his assist of the Republican nominee. He known as the state the “linchpin” on this election.
“How Pennsylvania goes I believe is how the election goes,” Musk mentioned.
The deadline to signal the petition is Monday night time, which is the day Pennsylvania’s voter registration closes. The petition, posted on the America PAC web site, mentioned that to be eligible for funds, signees “have to be registered voters of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, or Wisconsin.”
Rick Hasen, a UCLA regulation professor and NBC Information election regulation analyst, mentioned in a weblog put up that Musk’s initiative seems to be a violation of federal election legal guidelines, particularly one that claims an individual who “pays or gives to pay or accepts cost both for registration to vote or for voting shall be fined no more than $10,000 or imprisoned no more than 5 years, or each.”
“Sure issues on this nation will be bought, and sure issues we’ve got determined shouldn’t be on the market,” Hasen instructed CNBC in an interview. “Congress has decided you shouldn’t be capable of promote your vote to the best bidder, and we should always not have the political course of distorted by folks with probably the most wealth who might attempt to get you to vote in a sure manner.”
CNBC reached out to Musk and one in all his advisors for remark, however they did not reply.
In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro mentioned Musk’s plan to offer cash to registered voters in his state is “deeply regarding” and “it is one thing that regulation enforcement might check out.”
Floating conspiracy theories
At pro-Trump occasions, Musk has pushed debunked voter fraud conspiracies, known as for deregulation, and repeatedly characterised President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Donald Trump’s rival, as replaceable “puppets.”
“Nobody’s even bothering to attempt to kill Kamala, , as a result of there is no level,” Musk mentioned on Saturday, repeating a line he is used previously that caught the eye of the Secret Service. “I am not suggesting somebody ought to attempt to kill her, it could be pointless, however I am simply saying. I am simply making an statement.”
Musk mentioned in his appearances that he views many authorities companies and laws within the U.S. as ineffective and pointless. Trump has taken up an concept floated by Musk to create a authorities effectivity fee, and mentioned the tech magnate can be an enormous a part of the fee.
“We should always not belief the federal government, actually. We simply should not,” Musk mentioned Harrisburg. “Even when I am within the authorities, do not belief the federal government.”
Whereas Musk’s corporations have lengthy relied on authorities spending and assist, he is berated the Federal Communications Fee, the Environmental Safety Company, Federal Aviation Administration and Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries for holding SpaceX again.
“We get loopy issues,” Musk mentioned, “like SpaceX obtained fined $140,000 for dumping potable ingesting water on the bottom at Starbase.”
As CNBC beforehand reported, SpaceX has repeatedly discharged sizzling, industrial wastewater into the wetlands surrounding the corporate’s launch pad in Boca Chica, Texas, which the EPA discovered was a Clear Water Act violation.
SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with the Clipper spacecraft sits on launch pad 39A earlier than the launch on the Kennedy House Heart in Florida on October 14, 2024.
Chandan Khanna | Afp | Getty Pictures
Musk mocked NOAA Fisheries for asking SpaceX to conduct a examine to foretell how its rockets might influence sharks and whales in the event that they fall into the ocean.
“I am like, it is a large ocean, , there’s a number of sharks. It isn’t unimaginable, nevertheless it’s most unlikely,” Musk mentioned. The company’s mission is to “preserve America’s coastal and marine assets.”
Musk’s animosity towards Biden picked up in 2021, when the White Home declined to ask Tesla to an electrical automobile summit.
“You understand, Tesla’s about 140,000 folks — it is like there’s a number of blood, sweat and tears from folks working exhausting to make nice electrical vehicles,” Musk mentioned Saturday. “To be could-shouldered like that for no purpose. It is like, what is the deal?”
Musk has lengthy battled unions, and Tesla was charged with union busting earlier than the EV summit. Biden has maintained a pro-labor platform all through his presidency.
One attendee in Harrisburg requested Musk if he believed that self-driving vehicles ought to ultimately be obligatory if they will carry out extra safely in site visitors than human drivers. Tesla has promised prospects a “robotaxi” for years, however by no means produced one.
Musk prompt he was towards something federally mandated.
“We should always simply get the federal government out of issues and let the market determine it out,” he mentioned. “I am usually towards authorities. With that, I would prefer to thanks all for coming. It has been an honor to talk with you.”
Musk solely talked about Trump sparingly all through the night, and did not talk about his insurance policies or document as president in any element.
