Elon Musk has promised to pay $1 million a day to anyone who signs a petition supporting the US Constitution, and has already made the first payment in Pennsylvania.
“We really want as many people to sign the petition as possible, so I have a surprise for you. We will randomly award $1 million to someone who signs it. The prize will be awarded every day, until Election Day,” billionaire Elon Musk said at an event to support Donald Trump in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on October 19.
Musk was referring to the petition released earlier this month by the super PAC he backs. “The First and Second Amendments guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. By signing below, I pledge my support for the First and Second Amendments,” the petition reads.
The US billionaire awarded the first million USD to John Dreher, an audience member at the event in Harrisburg. Dreher described himself as a “huge fan” of Elon Musk and bought the billionaire’s autobiography 10 years ago. Musk responded that he wanted Dreher to continue promoting the above proposal.
Elon Musk speaks in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on October 19. Photo: AP
This is the latest move showing how billionaire Musk is using his wealth to influence the White House race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate.
Mr. Musk once declared that he would “go all in” for the former US president. This billionaire supports America PAC to attract more votes for the Republican candidate in battleground states, targeting unregistered or undecided voters.
America PAC aims to recruit one million voters in Pennsylvania and the six remaining battleground states of Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina by October 21. The super PAC previously announced a $47 reward for signing the petition.
On October 18, Musk announced that he would increase the reward to $100 for Pennsylvania voters by October 21, when the state closes voter registration. “Make money by supporting what you already believe in,” Musk wrote.
The idea of the program appears to be to avoid violating election law, which prohibits paying people to register to vote. Attendees of the October 19 event also signed the petition. This allowed America PAC to collect contact information for potential voters, which it then used to lobby for Trump.
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat, acknowledged earlier this week that Musk has the ability to appeal to a demographic that Harris’ campaign has had trouble reaching.
