Tesla’s CEO speaks at a rally for Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump at the scene of the assassination attempt on President Trump in July in Butler, Pennsylvania, October 5, 2024. ) Elon Musk (Photo taken on October 5, 2024).
Carlos Barria | Reuters
tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, who is supporting Donald Trump in the presidential election, on Sunday offered a $47 referral bonus for each registered voter in battleground states that the billionaire’s political action committee introduced online. It was advertised as providing the people with the following. petition Signers must provide personal contact information.
“Earn $47 for each voter you refer in a battleground state!” Musk wrote in a post on his social media site X. “It’s easy to make money.” If Trump is elected, he will become the 47th president of the United States.
The petition declares that the signatories support “First and Second Amendment rights,” but the signatories do not know who the petition will be delivered to or when it will be delivered. It does not include all the core elements of a traditional petition, such as the demands made by the petitioner.
Instead, the petition seeks personal contact information for voters in battleground states. Once signed, all users, regardless of state, will be redirected to a page with voter registration links for only seven states: Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Musk’s America PAC said its goal is to “get 1 million registered voters in battleground states to sign a petition supporting the Constitution, specifically the right to free speech and bear arms.”
“This program is only available to registered voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina,” the PAC said. These states are considered likely to be won in the race between Trump and his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
The petition is not the first time PAC America has attempted to collect valuable contact information online from voters in battleground states. But this is the first effort to include funding for people who help the PAC find registered voters.
Earlier this year, America PAC contacted the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office after CNBC revealed that America PAC was collecting personal contact information under false pretenses of helping voters in battleground states register to vote. It was briefly investigated by the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office. .
In response to the investigation, PAC told state officials it would fix some dead-end links on the site.
Musk has said he is the founder of America PAC. Donation received From people associated with him. But a July federal disclosure report shows no direct donations from Mr. Musk until the end of June. The billionaire has reportedly been donating to the PAC since then, but the next report is not expected until mid-November.
CNBC has reached out to Musk’s spokesperson for comment on the petition.
Musk promoted his petition the day after he and Trump attended a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidates in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler on July 13.
“This is not a normal election,” Musk told rallygoers on Saturday. “President Trump must win.”
To protect the Constitution. He must win to protect American democracy. ”
The link to the petition asks respondents if someone referred them to the site, then asks for that person’s email or mobile phone number.
It was unclear Monday how the PAC would actually make its promised payments.
