Tech billionaire Elon Musk will step up his personal efforts to elect Donald Trump in the remaining weeks of the election — including making visits to Pennsylvania to campaign for the former president.
Musk plans to make appearances in the swing state in the four weeks leading up to Nov. 5, according to a person who spoke to his team and was granted anonymity to speak freely because they were not authorized to do so. He is expected to make the move with the support of America PAC, a pro-Trump super PAC he formed. He may make other appearances in the state independent of his super PAC — as he did Sunday night, when he showed up at the Pittsburgh Steelers game in a MAGA hat and was greeted by Steelers owner Art Rooney II, among others.
Musk, the world’s richest person, took his most aggressive steps yet this weekend to personally express his support for Trump. Musk appeared at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, where he praised the former president during a brief speech and urged attendees to “vote, vote, vote.” After the meeting, he joined Trump backstage, where he took part in a tele-town hall event.
Also this weekend, Musk changed his profile icon on his account at X to an image of him wearing a black MAGA hat and added a link to the America PAC account in his bio. He also repeatedly promoted posts from the PAC, which is organizing a pro-Trump voter turnout with financial support from Musk and his associates.
And on Sunday afternoon, Musk unveiled a new program in which he pledged to pay $47 to people who register voters in seven swing states — Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and Michigan. Musk has a history of using rewards initiatives: He recently unveiled a referral program for Tesla, the electric car company he owns. In the program, buyers and their referrers receive $500 or $1,000 in credits that can be used toward Tesla products.
But those close to Musk say his primary focus is on Pennsylvania, a state strategist from both parties views as perhaps the most consequential in determining the outcome of the election. Musk, who also owns X and the space rocket manufacturing program SpaceX and is estimated to be worth more than $260 billion, has ties to the state, having attended the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to the Steelers, he is also a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles. During the 2023 Super Bowl between the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, he was spotted in a box seat with media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
A representative for Musk declined to comment on his future campaign plans.
Trump and Musk have had a complicated relationship. In 2022, Musk said Trump should “sail into the sunset” rather than run for president again; Trump, meanwhile, called the entrepreneur a “nonsense artist.” Last year, Musk forged an alliance with Trump’s chief rival Ron DeSantis, joining the Florida governor for his trouble-laden campaign launch on the X platform. But Trump and Musk have grown closer this year.
The tech billionaire formally endorsed Trump after the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump’s life, and in August Musk hosted a live-streamed event with Trump on call it “brilliant.” Musk said in response that he was “willing to serve.”
It is not publicly known how much money Musk has given to America PAC. These numbers will become clear on October 15, when America PAC will detail its spending and contribution data. But people familiar with the group say they expect significant resources to be donated by Musk, who has been deeply involved in its activities.
