Perhaps Elon Musk is going off the rails with his Trump endorsement

Until not long ago, Elon Musk was not considered a staunch supporter of Trump, although it was rather clear that he had conservative political leanings. Recently, however, he has been investing a great deal of resources into the Republican candidate's campaign. This summer, he made his endorsement of Trump official and is now one of his most important allies. According to the New York Times, his form of activism is «unparalleled in modern history». Musk has even started personally engaging in Trump’s campaign by attending his rallies. The first one he attended was in early October in Butler, a town in Pennsylvania where Trump had survived an assassination attempt a few months prior. Additionally, Musk has funded Trump’s campaign with tens of millions of dollars, though the exact amount is unclear – the New York Times, citing a close source, claims that Musk plans to spend about $500 million by Election Day.

What Elon Musk is Doing to Support Trump

To support Trump in the race for the White House, Elon Musk has created a headquarters in Pennsylvania, one of the swing states that could determine the election's outcome, and has hired some managers from his companies to oversee projects in favor of the Republican candidate. Musk's endorsement of Trump also extends to the social network he owns, X: he frequently uses his account – which has over 200 million followers – to promote the Republican candidate’s proposals. Recently, he launched a kind of lottery aimed at people registered to vote in swing states. To participate, individuals must sign a petition advocating for free speech and gun ownership rights. The prize pool for this initiative is $1 million per day, awarded daily to a randomly selected winner until November 5. Many observers view this lottery as a tactic to encourage as many people as possible, who likely already support Trump, to register to vote and participate in the election. Those who sign the petition must provide a phone number, through which they may be contacted not only in case of winning but also to receive promotions in favor of the Republican candidate. For this reason, the initiative has been questioned by several experts: it could be considered an illegal practice that interferes with the electoral process, potentially influencing the votes of thousands of people where the outcome is still very uncertain between Trump and Kamala Harris. Democratic Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania (one of the swing states), has stated that Musk’s initiatives raise «serious questions» about how the entrepreneur is investing substantial financial resources in Trump’s campaign.

In the past, there have been numerous cases of wealthy entrepreneurs supporting – financially or by participating in events – specific political parties, but few have dedicated so many resources to a single candidate. Musk's financial support may even be unprecedented. According to some analyses, Musk is betting on a potential Trump victory to gain benefits from his administration, primarily in the form of tax cuts and deregulation in the industries where his companies operate. However, it’s possible that Musk supports Trump not only for convenience but also because he genuinely believes in his proposals – though these are often based on false or misleading premises. Nonetheless, Musk's assumption of the role in this campaign is rather risky. His companies, especially the more important ones, partly depend on government contracts: therefore, entrepreneurs who operate at this level usually seek to build alliances with every party to safeguard their interests. Until a few years ago, Musk adhered to this approach, even donating to both Republicans and Democrats. Taking a clear stance in favor of a single party could have negative consequences, especially if that candidate loses: Musk himself acknowledged this in an interview, saying that if Trump loses «I'm fucked».