One million dollars. That's how much Pennsylvania voters can win in a daily lottery if they sign Elon Musk's petition in favor of free speech and the right to bear arms – provided they're registered to vote. The billionaire made the announcement on October 19 at one of his rallies in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
The owner of social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has organized numerous rallies in the state, one that is crucial to the upcoming US presidential elections on November 5, and his latest initiative has caused an uproar. It's a legally tricky approach, with tactics that resemble vote-buying or incentivizing voter registration.
This method is reminiscent of the "political machines" of a century ago, organizations which bought votes in cities including Chicago and New York. Musk is pushing the boundaries further, and setting alarm bells ringing. In this presidential campaign, the Tesla CEO – a self-proclaimed libertarian – has replaced Trump as the "bad guy" for those opposed to the latter. A sort of younger Trump alter ego, who dances just as awkwardly, Musk is adored by Republicans and hated by Democrats, with 62% of Republicans and only 6% of Democrats viewing him favorably, according to a September poll by NBC.
"Elon Musk is out of control," wrote Robert Reich, Bill Clinton's former labor secretary, in an opinion piece published in the British newspaper The Guardian. He accused Musk of "rapidly transforming his enormous wealth into a huge source of unaccountable political power."
Has an unelected person ever wielded as much power in the US as Musk? The South African-born billionaire is the richest person in the world, with an estimated fortune of $250 billion. He influences global discourse through his X platform, which amplifies his ideas to the trumpets of the far right and serves as a megaphone for Trump's campaign. He has contributed $75 million to Trump's campaign, and Trump announced that, should he be elected, Musk would be put in charge of a "government efficiency commission" tasked with conducting "a complete financial and performance audit" of the federal government and drive "drastic reforms." Musk has been on a crusade against federal regulations, which he accuses of hampering the growth of his company SpaceX, a leader in the space sector, and hopes to get preferential treatment in the form of contracts and regulatory relief if Trump does return to power.
Money, politics, media, and positions of power are all dangerously intertwined. This strange combination brings to mind the "robber barons" – those despised tycoons from the late 19th century who shaped American capitalism during the Gilded Age. Musk's only limitation is that, being born in South Africa, he cannot run for president of the United States.
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