Billionaire Elon Musk promoted debunked conspiracy theories about election fraud Thursday at the first of a planned series of campaign events in Pennsylvania aimed at exonerating former President Donald Trump. Trump’s campaign drums up support.
During a town hall at a high school outside Philadelphia, Musk mentioned false conspiracy theories that Dominion voting systems were part of a plot to rig U.S. elections in recent years.
“When you have mail-in ballots and no proof of citizenship, it’s almost impossible to prove cheating,” he said in response to an audience question about election fraud. “Statistically, there are some very strange things that happen that, statistically speaking, are unlikely to happen. There’s always this problem, like with the Dominion voting machines. I think, weirdly, they’re Isn’t it a coincidence that it’s used in Philadelphia and Maricopa County (Arizona) but not in many other places?
“The last thing I want to do is trust a computer program,” he said, promoting the idea that U.S. elections should only use paper ballots. this brennan justice centerA progressive nonprofit legal and public policy organization found that 98% of votes in the general election are expected to be cast by paper ballots.
Dominion did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company has broadly denied any suggestion that it was involved in rigging the election. last year it Reaches $787.5 million settlement with Fox News A defamation lawsuit was filed against the outlet over such allegations.
Contrary to Musk’s claim that Dominion’s software is only used in a handful of counties, Reuters fact check At least 24 states were found to have used Dominion systems in the 2020 elections.
Musk’s appearance, live broadcast Airing on Fox and Channel X in Philadelphia, Musk doubled down on his support for Trump. Musk has paid nearly $75 million He established the pro-Trump USA Political Action Committee this year. Two weeks ago, he Join Trump On stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Musk has also turned his X account, which has more than 200 million followers, into a near-constant stream of support for Trump, in which he has repeatedly made false claims about immigration and voter fraud.
Research and Survey Already found There is no evidence that voter fraud is widespread in the United States. When voter fraud occurs, prosecutors have successfully prosecuted perpetrators, including in highly publicized incidents. North Carolina Fraud Scheme.
Musk gave a roughly 10-minute speech that appeared to be impromptu and ranged from concerns about censorship and government spending to the Second Amendment and urban safety, claiming cities have become less safe for their residents. . this The latest data released by the FBI Shows a general decrease in crime rates across the United States, including in major cities.
Speaking of the U.S.-Mexico border, Musk compared it to the zombie movie “World War Z.”
Musk then answered questions for about 40 minutes, including at one point interacting with an audience member who called out Democratic megadonor George Soros, who has long been the subject of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. In response, Musk called Soros “evil” and said he was “destroying the fabric of society.”
In response to another question, Musk floated a baseless conspiracy theory that Vice President Kamala Harris is controlled by an unknown group of people.
Musk repeatedly encouraged viewers to contact their friends and family to register to vote in the state — the registration deadline is Monday.
“Pennsylvania is the key to this election, and this election will determine the fate of America, and the fate of America and Western civilization,” Musk told the crowd as he stood in front of an American flag.
