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Elon, Elon, Elon. What were you thinking, Elon Musk? In the run-up to Election Day 2024, the Tesla CEO famously promised to gift $1 million each to a series of randomly selected voters in Pennsylvania. The selection was not so random after all, and a federal judge has just decided that a lawsuit seeking damages from Musk can move forward.
Why Are We Talking About Elon Musk?
Why, indeed. Realistically speaking, every leading automotive CEO has an interest in the outcome of elections in the US, and they lobby furiously to get what they want. However, Elon Musk has sailed far past Mary Barra, Jim Farley, and other lesser-knowns to insert himself directly, aggressively, and expensively into the democratic process itself.
There are many examples, but let’s focus on the lawsuit. In the run-up to Election Day 2024, Musk launched a publicity campaign for his personal funding platform, America PAC (political action committee), in which he encouraged people to connect with voters in swing states. “Elon Musk’s pro-Trump America PAC is offering people $47 if they successfully get one registered swing-state voter to sign a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments of the Constitution,” reported NBC News on October 7, among many others. As a self declared “free speech absolutist,” Elon Musk is well known for supporting the First Amendment. The Second Amendment less so, but perhaps his affinity for right-wing political violence is behind that item.
