SpaceX and Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk speaks at the Milken Conference 2024 Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, United States on May 6, 2024.
David Swanson | Reuters
If voters are Michigan Perform a search Googlea somewhat shocking ad may pop up.
The ad shows a young man lying in bed late at night when someone texts him, “Hey you need to vote,” before sending the man a video Attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump. The man could hear gunshots and people screaming in the background.
As Trump was rushed off the stage with blood on his face, the man watching the video responded: “This is getting out of hand. How do I start?”
The ad will then display a link called ” American PAC.
The website says it will help viewers register to vote. But once a user clicks “Register to Vote,” his or her experience can be very different depending on where they live.
If the user lives in a state that is not considered competitive in presidential elections, such as California or Wyoming, they will be prompted to enter their email address and zip code and then be quickly directed to that state’s voter registration page, or Return to the original registration section.
But for users who enter a zip code indicating they live in battleground states like Pennsylvania or Joshua, the process is much different.
Instead of being directed to their state’s voter registration page, they are directed to a highly detailed personal information form prompting them to enter their address, cellphone number and age.
If they agree to submit everything, the system still won’t direct them to the voter registration page. Instead, it shows them a “Thank you” page.
So what about that person who needs help registering to vote? Ultimately, they received no help in registering. But they did hand over priceless personal data to political action.
Specifically, political action committees created by: Tesla CEO Muskdesigned to give Republican presidential candidate Trump an advantage in his campaign against the Vice President Kamala Harristhe de facto Democratic nominee.
“I created a PAC, or a super PAC… America PAC,” Musk said in a recent speech. interview.
Musk also owns social media platform X and has a net worth of more than $235 billion, according to data Forbes.
Owning a social media company gave him a huge platform to promote his political views, coupled with the creation of a political action committee with virtually unlimited resources, Musk became a major force in a U.S. presidential election for the first time.
Musk PAC uses ‘registration to vote’ data
According to AdImpact, U.S. political action committees have spent more than $800,000 since early July on campaigns targeting voters in key battleground states such as Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Digital Advertising.
The ads, which appear on Facebook, Instagram and Google via YouTube, all encourage people to register to vote on the PAC’s website.
The political action committee’s efforts to gather information from people using the concept of “voter registration” are a key part of its plan to reach out to these voters personally.
“American political action committees are focusing on door-to-door canvassing in support of Trump,” said Brendan Fischer, deputy executive director of campaign finance watchdog Documented.
“I think it’s safe to assume that the voter data collected through these digital appeals will inform American PAC’s canvassing and other political activities,” he added.
Fisher noted that the organization’s privacy policy says they can use data collected in “other activities and/or fundraising efforts.”
U.S. political action committees have spent more than $21 million since June on canvassing, digital media, text messaging services and phone calls, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
The PAC’s website does not in any way indicate the organization’s political leanings. But the group revealed in its federal filings that all of its work was intended to help Trump or hurt his opponents.
Fisher said he has seen other political action committees try to use “registration to vote” information to collect data on people.
But what makes America PAC’s program unique are its backers and the timing of its creation.
In most cases, super PACs are not allowed to directly coordinate their paid advertising with campaigns. But this spring, regulators ruled that door-to-door canvassing did not fall within the scope of the ban because, unlike advertising, it was person-to-person communication.
“What’s unique about American PAC is that it’s a billionaire-backed super PAC that focuses on door-to-door canvassing and can work in tandem with a presidential campaign,” Fisher said. “Thanks a Recent FEC Advisory OpinionsPACs can legally coordinate their canvassing efforts with the Trump campaign, meaning the Trump campaign can provide PACs with literature and scripts to ensure their efforts are aligned.
“Coordination is important: it ensures that the PAC’s activities benefit the campaign to the maximum extent possible and frees up the campaign’s own funds for other uses,” he said. “I suspect the PAC’s ability to coordinate its data-driven get-out-the-vote efforts with the Trump campaign makes it very attractive to donors.”
Longtime Republican strategists Phil Cox, Generra Peck and Dave Rexrode are among the PAC’s top advisers, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. One of the leaders of the reshuffle in mid-July. The person was granted anonymity and could speak freely about private matters.
The change signals a possible shift in the PAC’s strategy in November. New York Times The move was first reported.
Musk isn’t the only tech executive to support the effort.
U.S. PACs raised more than $8 million between April 1 and June 30, according to FEC records. According to FEC records, the company has received donations from companies run by veteran investor Doug Leone, cryptocurrency investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, and longtime venture capitalist Joe Lonsdale.
Lonsdale is the co-founder of the software company Palantir and the leader of the PAC, and according to Musk, “is” Musk’s “political confidant” New York Times.
Records do not yet list Musk as a donor. He recently said on X that he was “donating to US PAC” but did not disclose the specific amount. The PAC is not required to file its third-quarter report before Oct. 15, which marks the first time Musk’s name is listed as a donor.
A spokesman for American Political Action Committee declined to comment. Musk did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Musk X Mirror Musk PAC
The PAC’s ads on the social media platform also reflect the larger message Musk delivers to his 191 million followers on X multiple times a day: America is in chaos, and voting for Trump instead of Harris is the only way out.
“These political action committees often serve as alter egos for the billionaires behind them,” said Daniel Weiner, director of the Brennan Center’s Elections and Government Program.
Experts say the lack of any real guardrails over Musk’s ownership of X and how he uses the platform suggests the Tesla boss could use the platform as a political weapon against Harris and the Democratic Party as a whole, with the election still to come. Less than 100 days.
“I would say it’s concerning that the owner of one of the most important social media platforms is openly partisan (supporting one of the candidates) and is using his platform… as a tool to pursue their overtly partisan ends,” said Matthew Baum, a professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School whose research includes misinformation.
Baum said the ownership of social media companies like Or what the political implications are.
“There are concerns that Musk is weaponizing the platform to help his preferred candidate,” Trump, Weiner said.
