November 11th 2024.
According to a source familiar with the situation, Elon Musk's super PAC played a significant role in Donald Trump's election, spending approximately $200 million. This was a groundbreaking effort that demonstrated the power of billionaires in influencing elections. As the CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX, Musk was the primary source of funding for America PAC, which focused on reaching out to low-propensity and first-time voters. The source, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that Musk's contribution was crucial in enabling the PAC to coordinate its efforts with the Trump campaign, thanks to a ruling from the Federal Election Commission in March.
This ruling allowed for super PACs to work closely with campaigns and use the nearly unlimited resources of wealthy donors like Musk to increase voter turnout in traditionally conservative areas. As a result, the Trump campaign was able to allocate their resources towards national ad campaigns and targeted outreach to demographics that were previously dominated by Democrats. This strategy proved to be successful, with Trump seeing significant increases in turnout in crucial battleground states. In fact, on election night, the president-elect himself acknowledged Musk's role in his victory, declaring him a "new star."
James Blair, the political director of the Trump campaign, explained that the FEC ruling allowed them to conserve their hard dollars and invest more in paid voter contact and advertising programs. This included both broad ad campaigns aimed at a national audience, as well as targeted efforts to engage with Black and Latino men, a demographic in which Trump saw significant gains. However, it wasn't just Musk's financial contributions that helped Trump. As a highly influential public figure and one of Trump's most prominent supporters, Musk's presence on the campaign trail and social media platforms played a crucial role in appealing to younger male voters.
Moreover, Musk's ownership of X (formerly known as Twitter) also proved to be beneficial for Trump. The platform's work to eliminate certain restrictions that hindered Trump's ability to communicate with his followers was a significant advantage for the campaign. Like many conservatives, Musk is a vocal critic of social media's efforts to regulate disinformation, arguing that it amounts to censorship. With his support, Trump was able to secure a second term as president and has even announced plans to appoint Musk to a government efficiency commission.
The collaboration between the Trump campaign and America PAC could have long-lasting implications for future presidential races. It challenges the traditional belief that campaigns have limited control over their field programs and highlights the influence that wealthy donors can have in politics. It also demonstrates the effectiveness of paid canvassing operations, a strategy that had previously failed in past campaigns. For instance, during the 2024 Republican presidential primary, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis relied heavily on an outside group, but their efforts were no match for Trump's campaign. However, this was before the FEC ruling, and the Trump campaign and Musk's PAC were operating in a different landscape.
Musk's PAC was founded in May, but it wasn't until July, after he publicly endorsed Trump, that the group began its voter turnout efforts. The group attracted top Republican operatives with connections to DeSantis, and they ran ads warning voters of the consequences of sitting out the election. The most notable part of their work was a $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes, which faced legal challenges but was eventually permitted to continue. While this received significant attention, much of the PAC's work went unnoticed.
Door knocking was one of America PAC's most impactful strategies, leading to increased turnout for Trump in rural areas of key battleground states. However, this approach was not without controversy. Reports surfaced of paid canvassers falsifying their work and falsely claiming to have visited doors that they had not. There were also allegations of poor working conditions, including being crammed into the back of a U-Haul van and facing unrealistic quotas. Canvassers were fired after these reports, and the PAC faced a lawsuit. When asked for a comment, a spokesperson for America PAC declined to provide a statement.
On election night, Musk hinted at his PAC's future involvement in politics, stating that they would be preparing for upcoming elections and focusing on district attorney and judicial races. With their groundbreaking efforts in the 2024 presidential election, Musk and America PAC have challenged conventional wisdom and paved the way for a new era of campaigning.
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