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 keeping with X’s political advert disclosure knowledge, 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. The entire 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 stated 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,” stated Musk on the time. “That is no abnormal 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 probably voters. (The effectiveness of this technique stays to be seen, with canvassers reportedly faking voter contacts at scale.) The PAC has provided $47 to any swing state voters who would comply with signal a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments. Musk has additionally stated he’ll give out $1 million a day to voters who signal the petition, in a transfer election legislation knowledgeable 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, notably 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 Social gathering would permit undocumented immigrants to vote with the intention to win the election.
In a single advert that ran between September 27 and October 1, the put up learn, “Georgia is filling up with unlawful immigrants: In simply 3 years, Kamala launched extra unlawful immigrants into our nation than nearly 3x the inhabitants of Atlanta. Finish Kamala’s Border Chaos and request your poll for President Trump immediately.” The advert hyperlinks to the web site votesafe.org, which is paid for by the America PAC and the place voters can lookup their voter registration standing and request ballots.
The entire 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, working greater than 250 adverts in October alone.
A consultant from X didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
