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America PAC

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For the PAC founded in 2016, see Great America PAC.
America PAC
FoundedJuly 2024; 5 months ago (2024-07)
FounderElon Musk
Legal statusSuper PAC
Websitetheamericapac.org
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The America PAC is a super PAC (political action committee) created by Elon Musk with the backing of a number of prominent tech businessmen to support Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. The group's primary purpose is to finance canvassing operations. During its first three months through September 2024, Musk was the PAC's sole donor, totaling about $75 million, increasing to more than $118 million in October 2024.

History

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America PAC was founded to support the Donald Trump campaign during the 2024 United States presidential election. Backers include Elon Musk, Douglas Leone, Palantir Technologies co-founder Joe Lonsdale, Tyler Winklevoss, Cameron Winklevoss,[1] Ken Howery, Shaun Maguire of Sequoia Capital, and SpaceX board member Antonio Gracias.[2] Musk told friends earlier in 2024 that he sought secrecy about his support for Trump; some of his backers initially "anchored" the PAC so that Musk's investment would be made after July 1 and thus would not be publicly disclosed until shortly before the election.[3]

Musk said in an interview with Jordan Peterson that he has "created a PAC or Super PAC or whatever you want to call it" called "America PAC".[4] Musk was reported to have pledged to contribute $45 million a month to the PAC.[5][6][1][7] However, Musk has subsequently stated that the $45 million per month commitment never took place, and that the press has misreported his intentions. He further clarified that he will be donating to America PAC, but in a much lower albeit unspecified amount.[8] From its inception through September 2024, Musk was the sole donor to the PAC, totaling about $75 million, increasing to more than $118 million in October 2024.[9][10]

In the end stages of the 2024 season the Trump campaign outsourced much of the on the ground campaigning in swing states to America PAC.[11] In October, Musk seized the X handle @America to promote the group.[12][13]

Leadership

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Following a series of transitions in July 2024 veteran political strategists Phil Cox, Generra Peck, and Dave Rexrode took guiding positions in the organization.[14]

Efforts

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The group has been engaged in voter information gathering efforts.[15] These efforts have faced scrutiny from regulators and other groups in those states.[16] The group has set a goal of registering 800,000 new voters in swing states for the 2024 election.[17][18]

The PAC provided funding to Republican candidates in key house races including Mike Lawler, Ken Calvert, Michelle Steel, Ken Coughlin, Marc Molinaro, Tom Kean Jr., Derrick Merrin, David Valadao, Austin Theriault, and Joe Kent.[19][20]

Social media activities

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America PAC has paid for ads on social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube and X, the latter of which received less investment than the other two. From July to October 2024, the company invested $3 million on Facebook and Instagram advertisements, with $1.5 million being spent on Google and $201,000 on X.[21]

The efforts are targeted at voters in swing states and have included provocative internet ads featuring the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.[14][22] Ads have been targeted at voters in Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.[14][23][24][25] According to Wired, as of October 2024, the ads had amassed 32 million impressions.[21]

Social media content shared by America PAC have included a video which depicts a fighter with Kamala Harris' face being physically attacked by a sword-wielding Trump. Another post shared by the organization stated that "Harris is a 'C-word'"—an allusion to the word "cunt", a vulgar word used against women—before calling her a "communist".[26][27]

America PAC administers an “Election Integrity Community” on Twitter/X, in October 2024 Musk tweeted that his followers should report issues with the 2024 Election there.[28]

Canvassing

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The PAC has employed canvassing vendors in battleground states. Blitz Canvassing LLC is contracted to work in Arizona, North Carolina, Michigan, and Nevada.[11] It had previously contracted with the September Group in Arizona and Nevada but cancelled those contracts in September 2024.[29] Blitz Canvassing LLC is a subsidiary of GP3 which is owned by the same political strategists who run America PAC, this has led to criticism from some within the Trump campaign. Patriot Grassroots LLC has been hired to do work in Georgia and Pennsylvania. The Synapse Group has been retained to work in Wisconsin. America PAC is the only Trump campaign affiliated group to hire canvassers in all seven battleground states.[11] In Wisconsin America PAC has also collaborated with Turning Point Action, combining their canvassing efforts.[30] Despite these contracted and combined efforts America PAC struggled to meet their canvassing targets.[31]

In Michigan, canvassers contracted by America PAC were subjected to poor working conditions: they were transported in a U-Haul van with no rear seating or seatbelts, and threatened to meet unrealistic quotas under threat of being forced to pay for their hotel rooms and transportation home.[32] After these poor working conditions were reported, the canvassers were fired for speaking to the press.[33] On October 30, a class action lawsuit regarding California labor law violations was filed against multiple entities including America PAC.[34]

According to The Guardian, America PAC's internal data classified 20 to 25% of door-knocks in the states of Arizona and Nevada as being potentially fraudulent.[35] Accusations of fraud against the PAC's canvassers have been further backed by nine Republican workers connected to the organization. According to NBC News, a video tutorial of how to spoof door-knocks and send the fake data to America PAC was leaked to the public. Other cases of potential fraud included canvassers submitting data from locations far away from the homes they were expected to have visited.[36]

Petition and giveaways

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Avatar of Elon Musk
Avatar of Elon Musk
 Elon Musk
@elonmusk
 X logo, a stylized letter X

For every person you refer who is a swing state voter, you get $47! Easy money.

October 6, 2024[37]

In October 2024 the PAC launched a petition effort focused on the First and Second Amendments. They offered $47 per referral of swing state voter. Musk tweeted “For every person you refer who is a swing state voter, you get $47! Easy money."[38] He later increased the referral amount to $100, also stating that he'd give away $1 million to a swing state petition signer each day until election day.[39] Petition signers must be registered voters and provide contact information, making it "a data mining tool" for the PAC to contact voters.[40]

Law professor Rick Hasen said that a $1 million giveaway limited to registered voters is a "clearly illegal" violation of section 52 of the United States Code, which concerns voting regulations.[40] The Department of Justice subsequently warned the PAC that it might be breaking the law.[41] On the same day that the warning was issued, the PAC did not announce any winner of the giveaway, with Musk offering no explanation as to why. On the day after, the organization resumed its activities and announced two more winners.[42][43]

On October 28, Larry Krasner, the district attorney for Philadelphia, filed suit against Musk and the PAC, alleging that it is an "illegal lottery scheme" and violated state law.[44] Krasner further stated that the civil lawsuit does not preclude any potential criminal prosecution.[45][46] Musk attempted to have the case moved to federal court, but a federal judge ruled against him, and returned the case to state court.[47] At a court hearing, Musks's lawyers stated that although Musk had said that the money would be awarded "randomly" and by "chance", the winners weren't chosen at random but instead were evaluated to “feel out their personality, (and) make sure they were someone whose values aligned” with the PAC and were being paid to serve as spokespersons.[48] The winners also had to sign nondisclosure agreements. A judge dismissed Krasner's suit on November 4.[49]

After Musk's lawyers stated that the awards were not random, two giveaway participants, one from Texas and another from Michigan, filed lawsuits against Musk and America PAC in federal courts alleging that they had been misled by the defendants. The plaintiff in the Texas case stated that she would never have signed the petition had she known that the giveaways were not random. The Michigan plaintiff, who supported Kamala Harris for president, said that "the selection not only is not random, but is a targeted process that eliminates anyone who is not a Republican or vocal supporter of Donald Trump".[50][51] [52][53]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Siddiqui, Faiz; Dwoskin, Elizabeth (15 July 2024). "Elon Musk allies poured millions into pro-Trump super PAC". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024. Among the donors are former Tesla board member Antonio Gracias, Palantir co-founder and Austin-based tech investor Joe Lonsdale and Sequoia Capital investor Shaun Maguire. The rest of the donors include Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who pivoted to cryptocurrency in recent years. Together they gave half a million dollars.
  2. ^ Schleifer, Theodore. "Elon Musk Allies Help Start Pro-Trump Super PAC". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  3. ^ Mahler, Jonathan; Mac, Ryan; Schleifer, Theodore (October 18, 2024). "How Tech Billionaires Became the G.O.P.'s New Donor Class". The New York Times.
  4. ^ Sullivan, Helen. "Elon Musk denies report he will donate $45m a month to Trump Super Pac". theguardian.com. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  5. ^ Schleifer, Theodore (July 16, 2024). "Elon Musk Allies Help Start Pro-Trump Super PAC". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  6. ^ Mattioli, Dana; Glazer, Emily; Safdar, Khadeeja (16 July 2024). "Elon Musk Has Said He Is Committing Around $45 Million a Month to a New Pro-Trump Super PAC". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  7. ^ Legum, Judd; Crosby, Rebecca (18 July 2024). "The Audacity of Elon Musk's $180 Million Pledge to Elect Donald Trump". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  8. ^ Robertson, Nick (July 23, 2024). "Musk says he's not donating $45 million per month to Trump". The Hill. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  9. ^ Ulmer, Alexandra; Levy, Rachael (October 16, 2024). "Musk gave $75 million to pro-Trump group, becoming a Republican mega donor". Reuters.
  10. ^ Durkee, Alison (October 24, 2024). "Elon Musk Is Now Trump's 2nd-Biggest Financial Backer: Donates Nearly $120 Million To Super PAC". Forbes.
  11. ^ a b c Lowell, Hugo. "Trump ground game operation now largely run by Elon Musk-backed group". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  12. ^ Lubin, Rhian. "X handle @America now used to promote Musk PAC that is pushing to get Trump elected". independent.co.uk. The Independent. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  13. ^ Kan, Michael. "Elon Musk Seizes @America Handle on X to Promote Trump". pcmag.com. PC Mag. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Schwartz, Brian. "How an Elon Musk PAC is using voter data to help Trump beat Harris in 2024 election". cnbc.com. CNBC.
  15. ^ Gavin, William. "Bug, or bait and switch? Elon Musk's super PAC website isn't working as advertised". qz.com. Quartz. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  16. ^ Woodward, Alex. "How Elon Musk is disrupting US elections to boost Trump". independent.co.uk. The Independent. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  17. ^ Dorn, Sara. "How Elon Musk Wants To Pull In Votes For Trump In 2024—As He's Set To Interview Former President Today". forbes.com. Forbes. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  18. ^ Mattioli, Dana; Palazzolo, Joe; Glazer, Emily. "Inside Elon Musk's Hands-On Push to Win 800,000 Voters for Trump". wsj.com. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  19. ^ Solender, Andrew. "Elon Musk bankrolls outgunned House GOP campaigns". axios.com. Axios. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  20. ^ "Exclusive: Pro-Trump group funded by Musk struggles with outreach targets, inflation of doorknock". retunes.
  21. ^ a b Montgomery, Blake (2024-10-22). "Elon Musk's pro-Trump Pac pouring millions into Facebook ads instead of X". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  22. ^ Novak, Matt. "Elon Musk's Pro-Trump Website Accused of Shady Data Collection". gizmodo.com. Gizmodo. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  23. ^ Schwartz, Brian (August 4, 2024). "Elon Musk PAC being investigated by Michigan secretary of state for potential violations". NBC News.
  24. ^ "The Broligarchs Are Trying to Have Their Way". theatlantic.
  25. ^ "Musk-backed PAC under investigation for potential violations of Michigan laws". reuters.
  26. ^ "Musk and his super PAC share video from user who made apparent Nazi posts". NBC News. 2024-10-29. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  27. ^ "Musk's pro-Trump super PAC uses vulgarity demeaning women to describe Harris". AP News. 2024-10-29. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  28. ^ Cohen, Zachary; Lyngaas, Sean; Murray, Sara. "Election officials are outmatched by Elon Musk's misinformation machine". cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  29. ^ Lowell, Hugo. "Trump-allied Pac fires canvassing vendor in crucial states weeks before election". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  30. ^ Allison, Natalie. "Elon Musk-backed PAC, Turning Point combine operations for Trump in Wisconsin". politico.com. Politico. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  31. ^ Levy, Rachael; Ulmer, Alexandra. "Exclusive: Pro-Trump group funded by Musk struggles with outreach targets". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  32. ^ Lahut, Jake. "Workers Say They Were Tricked and Threatened as Part of Elon Musk's Get-Out-the-Vote Effort". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  33. ^ Lahut, Jake. "Canvassers for Elon Musk's America PAC Were Fired and Stranded in Michigan After Speaking Out". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  34. ^ Lahut, Jake. "Elon Musk's America PAC Hit With Class Action Lawsuit". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  35. ^ Lowell, Hugo (2024-11-01). "US judge returns lawsuit against Elon Musk's $1m voter scheme to state court". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  36. ^ "'All hell has broken loose': Inside Elon Musk's high-stakes pro-Trump door-knocking effort". NBC News. 2024-11-01. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  37. ^ Elon Musk [@elonmusk] (October 6, 2024). "For every person you refer who is a swing state voter, you get $47! Easy money" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 6, 2024 – via Twitter.
  38. ^ Fortinsky, Sarah (October 7, 2024). "Musk-founded PAC says it will give $47 for every swing-state voter referral who signs petition". thehill.com. The Hill. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  39. ^ Catalini, Mike (2024-10-20). "Musk offers voters $1 million to sign PAC petition backing the Constitution. Can that be legal?". AP News. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
  40. ^ a b Tomazin, Farrah (2024-10-20). "Musk accused of illegally paying for votes with $US1 million election giveaway". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
  41. ^ Perez, Evan; Rabinowitz, Hannah; Cohen, Marshall (2024-10-23). "Justice Department warns Elon Musk that his $1 million giveaway to registered voters may be illegal". CNN. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
  42. ^ Lotz, Avery; Saric, Ivana (October 2024). "Musk's super PAC defies DOJ warning, announces $1M giveaway winners". Axios.
  43. ^ Crowley, Kinsey. "Elon Musk announces more winners of $1 million giveaway after reported DOJ warning letter". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  44. ^ Cohen, Marshall (October 28, 2024). "Philadelphia DA sues Elon Musk and his super PAC over $1M sweepstakes". CNN. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  45. ^ "Philadelphia DA says he is suing Elon Musk's America PAC over its $1 million giveaway". AP News. 2024-10-28. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  46. ^ "Elon Musk's America PAC Hit With Class Action Lawsuit". Wired.
  47. ^ Dale, Maryclaire (November 1, 2024). "Pennsylvania challenge of Elon Musk's $1M-a-day voter sweepstakes moves back to state court". AP News. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  48. ^ Dale, Maryclaire (November 4, 2024). "Elon Musk's $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes can proceed, a Pennsylvania judge says". AP News. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  49. ^ Tanenbaum, Michael (November 4, 2024). "Judge dismisses Philly DA Larry Krasner's lawsuit challenging Elon Musk's $1 million giveaways". PhillyVoice. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  50. ^ "Voters Sue Musk for Fraud Over $1 Million Election Sweepstakes". Bloomberg.com. 2024-11-05. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  51. ^ Benny-Morrison, Ava (2024-11-05). "Voters Sue Musk for Fraud Over $1 Million Election Sweepstakes". BNN Bloomberg. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  52. ^ Valle, Gaby Del (2024-11-05). "Elon Musk sued for fraud over his $1 million giveaway to swing state voters". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  53. ^ "Elon Musk's $1M voter giveaways were fixed lotteries, lawsuits say". Wasistghon Post.
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