Election News
Elon Musk Holds His First Solo Event In Support Of Trump In The Philadelphia Suburbs
FOLSOM, Pennsylvania – Elon Musk attended his first solo rally in support of Donald Trump for president on Thursday, encouraging voters in the Philadelphia suburbs to register and vote early, despite some attendance asking, “Why?”
The America PAC event at Ridley High School’s auditorium in Folsom included the world’s wealthiest man speaking onstage in front of a giant American flag for about 15 minutes before fielding questions from the audience, many of whom wore “Make America Great Again” hats.
The event was advertised as a rallying cry to vote early in Pennsylvania, a critical battleground state where Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris are competing furiously for the presidency. Some in the audience questioned Musk’s appeals to vote early, implying that Republicans are still persuading their supporters to favor early voting after Trump spent years condemning the practice.
Elon Musk Holds His First Solo Event In Support Of Trump In The Philadelphia Suburbs
When Musk, the wealthy inventor of Tesla and Space X and owner of the social media network X, went onstage, the audience stood up and snapped cellphone videos. They remained standing during his remarks and clapped loudly when he claimed the United States Constitution must be protected.
“These are the underlying ideals that have made America what it is today. And anyone who opposes those things is inherently anti-American, so heck with them,” declared Musk, who was born in South Africa. The crowd erupted.
He urged the audience to ensure that they, their friends, and family were registered to vote and to “pester” those who were not. Toward the end of the question time, which included over a dozen from the audience, he was asked to explain if Pennsylvanians should vote early. Musk was briefly sidetracked by a spectator waving a hat that he appeared to autograph, followed by a toddler whom he brought onstage for a photo.
Redirected to the question, he stated that people should vote promptly.
Some in the audience clasped their hands and exclaimed, “Why?” He did not respond. A representative indicated after the event that he had no further comment.
For years, Trump has cast doubt on postal and early voting, alleging that it is rife with fraud, despite the fact that voter fraud is rare in the United States. This year, Republicans are making a renewed drive to persuade their supporters to vote early and lock in their ballots, despite acknowledging mistrust from those conditioned by Trump’s misleading statements.
A couple who attended the event, John and Linda Bird, expressed worries about the integrity of the voting mechanism and about voting early.
John Bird indicated he intended to vote on Election Day. Linda pointed to a banner distributed at the event that stated Trump advocated for early voting and expressed concern about not being able to vote on November 5.
Even so, she stated that she would vote on Election Day as well.
“Anything can happen, you know, you wake up that morning, some catastrophe happens or whatever,” she told me. “But, you know, we’re planning on voting on Nov. 5.”
One of the questioners brought up electoral fraud, which Trump has erroneously claimed cost him the 2020 presidential race. An Associated Press analysis of every potential example of voter fraud in the six key states contested by Trump discovered less than 475, a figure that would have made no difference in the outcome.
Musk remarked sarcastically that it must be a coincidence that Dominion voting machines, which had been the subject of conspiracy rumors in the 2020 election, were utilized in Philadelphia and Maricopa County, Arizona, two battleground states won by Democrat Joe Biden. In 2023, Fox News agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787 million to avoid a trial in a defamation case filed by the voting equipment company against the network for false statements about their company moving ballots.
In an emailed comment issued Thursday, Dominion stated that its equipment is not used in Philadelphia, as Musk claimed. The statement also stated that its systems rely on “verified paper ballots.”
“These aren’t just opinions. These are verifiable facts. Dominion said.
Musk has become a vocal supporter of Trump this campaign season. On Thursday evening, he described the election in frightening terms.
“I’ve never been politically involved before. “I’m politically active now because I believe the future of America and civilization is at stake,” he explained.
Elon Musk Holds His First Solo Event In Support Of Trump In The Philadelphia Suburbs
People lined up to attend before 3 p.m. when school let out. When it became evident that not everyone who had lined up to pose a question would be able to do so, a few people left early.
The event was livestreamed on X, formerly Twitter, and was occasionally glitchy and difficult to follow, despite attracting hundreds of thousands of spectators.
Musk is leading much of Trump’s voter turnout efforts through his America PAC, a super PAC with limitless fundraising and spending power. He has pledged over $70 million to the super PAC to help Trump and other Republicans win in November.
Trump and the Republican National Committee he controls chose an unusual tactic of dividing canvassing tasks in crucial regions with groups such as Musk’s. They’ve also focused their efforts on Trump supporters who don’t generally vote, rather than independent or moderate voters.
SOURCE | AP
