The Elon Musk–backed America PAC has spent 1000’s of {dollars} promoting on the Elon Musk–owned social media platform X to assist former president Donald Trump’s marketing campaign. In accordance with X’s political advert disclosure information, between July 8 and October 1 the America PAC ran 59 adverts, costing greater than $166,000 and yielding, per X’s metrics, 32,058,424 impressions. All the adverts focused swing states: Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, and Wisconsin.
Musk first endorsed Trump instantly following the tried assassination towards the previous president in July in Butler, Pennsylvania. Since then, Musk has mentioned he’s “all in” on his assist for Trump, and appeared at a second rally in Butler earlier this month. “This election is an important election of our lifetime,” mentioned Musk on the time. “That is no unusual election.” It was one a part of Musk’s—and the America PAC’s—efforts to prove voters for Trump in swing states.
The America PAC has been a driving drive behind voter mobilization for the Trump marketing campaign, growing an app to assist canvassers goal doubtless voters. (The effectiveness of this technique stays to be seen, with canvassers reportedly faking voter contacts at scale.) The PAC has supplied $47 to any swing state voters who would conform to signal a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments. Musk has additionally mentioned he’ll give out $1 million a day to voters who signal the petition, in a transfer election regulation professional Rick Hasen described as “clearly unlawful.”
Federal Election Fee filings launched final week revealed that Musk has funneled $75 million into the PAC since July, dwarfing different Silicon Valley donors who again the previous president. Musk has additionally donated to the Constructing America’s Future PAC, which has run anti–Kamala Harris adverts aiming to dissuade Black and Muslim voters, significantly in swing states.
Musk has additionally used his possession of X to additional promote Trump. In August, Musk sat down with Trump for an interview hosted on X Areas. He has additionally promoted and reshared conspiracy theories pedaled by the Trump marketing campaign, together with by alleging that the Democratic Get together would permit undocumented immigrants to vote so as to win the election.
In a single advert that ran between September 27 and October 1, the publish learn, “Georgia is filling up with unlawful immigrants: In simply 3 years, Kamala launched extra unlawful immigrants into our nation than virtually 3x the inhabitants of Atlanta. Finish Kamala’s Border Chaos and request your poll for President Trump as we speak.” The advert hyperlinks to the web site votesafe.org, which is paid for by the America PAC and the place voters can search for their voter registration standing and request ballots.
All the PAC’s adverts are linked to the @theamericapac X account, which hyperlinks to the PAC’s web site. Earlier than his look at Trump’s October rally in Butler, Musk had appropriated the @america deal with for the America PAC.
The America PAC has additionally invested closely in adverts on Meta’s platforms, Fb and Instagram, operating greater than 250 adverts in October alone.
A consultant from X didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
