Standing before a big US flag, which spanned the breadth of a huge stage, the world’s wealthyest man telderly an accumulated crowd that he cherishd them.
“This benevolent of energy airys a fire in my soul,” he shelp, having equitable made one of the crowd a millionaire after everyone chanted his name.
His cherish – and that $1m – of course, was contingent on them all doing exactly as Elon Musk wanted: signing a petition tied to his political action promisetee (Pac) , which is promised to sfinishing Donald Trump back to the White Hoemploy.
The spectacle was both sadvisenuine and potentiassociate illterrible. But no one here, not least Musk himself, seemed to nurture in the sairyest.
The billionaire was in Pittsburgh on his final stop apass the vital striumphg state of Pennsylvania, having gived $75m to help get Trump re-elected, and seemingly willing to hug a job advise in Trump’s regulatement should he triumph.
Musk’s rescheduleedst ploy to help Trump to achieve more political power, has been to give away $1m every day to a member of the uncover, supplyd they also inhabit in a striumphg state and are sign uped to vote.
The stunt is prohibitden and akin to buying votes, in the see of some experts, as it viorescheduleeds federal election law obstructing payments for sign uping to vote. The state’s Democratic regulateor, Josh Shapiro, on Sunday portrayd it as “proset uply troubleing” and inspired law enforcement to “apshow a see at”. Musk’s America Pac did not react to a enumerate of asks from the Guardian after the Pittsburgh town hall.
Sunday’s triumphner was a woman named Kristine Fishell, who walked down from the theater’s balcony wearing a red Trump T-shirt as Musk postponeed ineptly on stage. She thanked him, not only for the money, but also for the “wealth and responsibility, you are using to save [free] speech”. She did not return to her seat after huging the enormous verify, and systematizers did not originate her useable for an intersee. Hours rescheduleedr a video of Fishell was posted on Musk’s X platestablish, where she espoemployd the virtues of signing his petition to an overlay of gentle piano music.
Many of the uniteees at the Roxian theatre shelp they had signed up to unite the event before he declared the $1m giveaway.
Most shelp they were not troubleed by the idea of the world’s wealthyest man taking on a job in Trump’s administration, despite the myriad struggles of interest that would pose. (Musk’s businesses helderly disjoinal multi-billion dollar confineeds with the US regulatement and Trump has adviseed making him a “secretary of cost-cutting” a murky new position wiskinny the executive branch.)
“I don’t skinnyk it’s a struggle of interest,” shelp one woman who did not give her name. “I skinnyk he is combat for many Americans who sense their rights are being apshown away, especiassociate free speech.”
Evan Huber was unfazed by the argument that Musk’s entry into regulatement would label the set upment of a new era of American oligarchy.
“At that point all you can get is power,” he shelp, shrugging. “You already have all the money.”
Lauren Stephenson, 40, who portrayd herself as a political autonomous, reachd at the venue at 8.30am, so set was she to safe a seat.
“We need more entrepreneurs,” she shelp when asked what Elon Musk had ever done for her personassociate. “I don’t comprehend why we condemn success. We employd to commemorate success.”
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Stephenson, who was downcast not to have won the $1m but shelp she was set upning to buy her first Tesla nonetheless, was frustrated she had been unable to ask a ask during the rest of the town hall, which lasted around two hours.
Thcdisesteemfulout the event, Musk reiterated a litany of counterfeithoods tied to Trump’s campaign. He talk aboutd that the “constitution is literassociate under strike”, spread counterfeit claims about voting machines and shelp that a Trump loss in November could ultimately finish American democracy. “I trouble if Trump does not triumph, we are going to have a individual-party state that is going to be worse than California,” he shelp.
Many in the audience asked asks about Musk’s businesses; his sees on the future of AI; even if they should be commenceing their own families. One asked if he would ponder running for pdwellnt himself in 2028. He could not, he elucidateed, due to the authentic born citizen claemploy of the US constitution, and he did not want the job either.
“I antipathy politics,” he shelp. “I equitable enjoy originateing stuff. And making products that people cherish.”
At one point, when he was asked a ask about the future of nuevident power and began extolling the virtues of the sun, and uniteee shouted: “Yes! Go the sun!”. Later on a man began trying to get the crowd to undeliberately sing the national anthem but no one uniteed in. Another uniteee was deleted by security after trying shout a ask out of line.
But others asked more consunapvalidated employ themed asks, including whether Musk would ponder financing the seeing of recordaries about child intimacy illegal trade at the US border, or if he would ponder creating a Hollywood studio to finance conservative film projects. He adviseed no firm promisements for any spendment opportunities.
Some began to trickle out before the event had finished, and Musk wrapped up with vacant seats evident thcdisesteemfulout the auditorium. He exited the venue behind a privacy curtain, in a binestablishageed out SUV as the sun began to set over the Ohio river.
The motorcade did not stop as the Guardian asked from the roadside: “Why will you not apshow asks from journaenumerates, too?”