Elon Musk, a billionaire supporter of former President Donald Trump, announced Saturday he will randomly give $1 million every day until the election to a swing state voter who signs a petition by his super PAC—the latest controversial cash giveaway by a political action committee backed by the world’s wealthiest person.
Key Takeaways
- Musk announced the $1 million daily awards at a rally for Trump in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, and named the first winner onsite, John Dreher.
- Voters can qualify for the giveaway by signing a petition in support of free speech and the right to bear arms run by Musk’s America PAC—which has spent millions backing Trump’s election bid, including by paying for door-to-door canvassing in swing states.
- Voters in Pennsylvania will receive the million-dollar prize on Sunday and Monday, and in the 15 days after, signers from either Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina will be eligible.
Chief Critics
Election lawyer Rick Hasen said in a post on his blog the latest initiative by Musk is “clearly illegal,” arguing it violates a federal law banning “pay(ing) or offer(ing) to pay or accept(ing) payment either for registration to vote or for voting.”
Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro also criticized the giveaway, saying on “Meet the Press” Sunday that Musk has a right to express his views, “but when you start flowing this kind of money into politics, I think it raises serious questions that folks may want to take a look at.” Shapiro declined to speculate outright, though, on whether the giveaway was illegal. Forbes has reached out to Musk, his lawyer and the America PAC for comment on the giveaway and criticism of it.
Key Background
Through his America PAC, Musk officially became a Republican mega donor. Musk gave about $75 million to the PAC in the third quarter of 2024, making up virtually all of the group’s fundraising, and the PAC spent about $72 million to support Trump’s White House bid from July to September. Musk created America PAC in May, before endorsing Trump, though it has since played a pivotal role in Trump’s campaign, with as many as 400 employees in each of seven swing states, The Guardian reported. Earlier this month, Musk announced any petition signee who refers another registered swing state voter to sign his America PAC petition by Oct. 21 will receive $47.
Last week, Musk upped that offer for Pennsylvania voters, offering $100 per referral through Monday. Musk’s giveaways have raised questions in the past. It is legal for someone to compensate signature gatherers, but laws vary by state and some have banned pay-per-signature compensation methods (but America PAC is based in Texas, where there is not a specific ban on that).
And there are broader concerns about incentivizing people to register to vote as it is federally illegal to pay someone to register. Meanwhile, Reuters reports America PAC has struggled to meet its lofty goals, as its canvassers fan out across the swing states and knock on scores of donors’ doors in the election’s closing weeks.
Crucial Quote
Dreher, who was at the Harrisburg rally to support Musk and Trump and was the surprise first recipient of Musk’s giveaway, was called up on stage in Harrisburg and later said he “forgot about the money for a little bit” because of the excitement of meeting Musk. He went on to encourage others in Pennsylvania to vote, saying, “for guys my age who are working every day, it’s important, it’s really important to get out and vote.”
Big Number
1 million. That’s how many signatures Musk is aiming to get on his PAC’s petition supporting the First and Second Amendments. It is not known how many signatures the petition currently has.
Tangent
Musk endorsed Trump in July after the first assassination attempt on his life, and has since been campaigning in support of the former president both in person and on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Trump has said that, if elected in November, he would create a “government efficiency commission” and appoint Musk to lead it.
Forbes Valuation
Forbes estimates Musk has a net worth of about $247.4 billion as of 10:45 a.m. EDT Sunday, making him the wealthiest person in the world. Trump has a net worth of about $5.5 billion, making him the 615th wealthiest person in the world.
