Online news and television networks have repeatedly shown Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla, X (formerly Twitter), and SpaceX, on stage at Donald Trump's events. Over the years, Musk has donated thousands of dollars to candidates of both political parties. However, Musk has become increasingly more conservative. Over the summer, Musk provided millions of dollars to Trump's campaign. Musk has also used, or allowed others to use, X to spread false and misleading statements to sow doubt and spread lies about government entities, political opponents, immigration efforts, hurricane relief efforts, and those with opposing views.
I believe Musk wants to play "kingmaker". Trump is easily flattered by praise and financial support. Trump has already promised Musk an administration position should Trump win the White House. Musk has several government contracts and would certainly be provided preferential status for more should Trump win. A tariff on electronic vehicles from China and elsewhere would increase Tesla's value. Finally, Trump has promised to increase his tax cuts for the wealthy.
Musk's Political Donations
According to the Forbes.com article "Musk Donates $45 Million A Month to Pro-Trump PAC: Here Are the Other Republicans—And Democrats—He’s Supported", Elon Musk donated thousands of dollars to various election / re-election campaigns of both Democrats and Republicans from 2003 to 2017.
However, this election cycle Musk created his own super PAC, America PAC, to which he contributed $75 million for Mr. Trump. (nytimes.com. "Big Money Flowed to Pro-Trump Groups in the Past Three Months". By: Theodore Schleifer. October 16, 2024.) The article also reported that "Mr. Musk ... donated $1 million to Early Vote Action, a super PAC doing voter turnout work in Pennsylvania."
A Newsweek article published 10/12/24 and updated 10/14/24 indicated that Donald Trump's estranged niece Mary Trump "stated that her uncle has always been susceptible to financial influence and that he 'has always been for sale,' adding that 'it used to be shocking how many people were willing to prop him up in the hopes of profiting off his increasingly seamy ventures'." (Newsweek.com. "Mary Trump Exposes Elon Musk as Uncle Donald's 'New Owner'". By: Adeola Adeosun. Published: Oct. 12, 2024; updated Oct. 14, 2024.)
Use of X to Spread Misinformation
Musk has posted, and allowed the GOP and conspiracy theorists to publish, false and misleading statements on X (formerly Twitter). Such posts mirror statements by Trump on his campaign stops and via his Truth Social website. I believe this one of the primary reason's that Musk purchased Twitter.
A Forbes.com article dated February 5, 2024, stated that "Elon Musk spent the [02/02 - 02/04] on X railing against the bipartisan immigration bill, the Biden administration’s border policy and voicing support for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas—while echoing misleading claims from former President Donald Trump and right-wing activists. ... Early on [02/05], Musk criticized the newly released Senate immigration bill, claiming the goal of the spending bill was 'enabling illegals to vote,' while quoting a post from venture capitalist David Sacks that claimed the bill would provide 'mass amnesty.' ... But the text of the ... bill [did] not offer pathways to citizenship and [did] not mention voting at all, instead promoting legal work authorizations and short-term family visits and extending permanent residency status for resettled Afghan allies. ... Former President Donald Trump [was] a vocal opponent of the proposed bipartisan bill even before it [had been] released." The bill was defeated by Republicans in Congress at the behest of Trump who wanted to use immigration as a campaign issue. (Forbes.com. "Musk Echoes Right Wing Claims on Immigration as Bipartisan Senate Bill Finally Released: What to Know".
By: Zachary Folk. Feb 5, 2024)
A September 27, 2024 article on nytimes.com reported that "Hours before former President Donald J. Trump spoke at a rally in New York last week, rumors started circulating online that a bomb had been discovered nearby. While the report was debunked, Elon Musk nonetheless amplified it in a post to his nearly 200 million followers on X. ... [This post] was among dozens of false or misleading posts that Mr. Musk shared on the platform from Monday to Friday last week [09/16 - 09/20] — after both the second presidential debate and the second apparent assassination attempt on Mr. Trump. In 171 posts and re-posts during that frenetic five-day period, the tech mogul railed against illegal immigration, boosted election fraud conspiracy theories and attacked Democratic candidates ..." (nytimes.com. "5 Days with Elon Musk on X: Deepfakes, Falsehoods and Lots of Memes". By: Stuart A. Thompson. Sept. 27, 2024)
According to an article in Politico dated 10/08/2024, Elon Musk has been using X to "spread election conspiracy theories about U. S. disasters - just as online falsehoods are complicating the federal response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton." The conspiracy theories spread by Musk are similar to, or the same as, those disseminated by Trump concerning FEMA's assistance in western North Carolina. (Politico.com. "Elon Musk is piling onto all the hurricane disinformation, hampering relief efforts". By Adam Aton and Scott Waldman. 10/08/2024)
A separate article from The Daily Beast dated October 14, 2024 reported that "[m]any of the conspiracy theories surrounding the storms and the government’s response have been spearheaded by Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, ... blamed nefarious (albeit unidentified) electoral forces for 'controlling the weather' by means of extra-terrestrial laser technology. (thedailybeast.com. "Hurricane Relief Workers Forced to Evacuate Due to Threat of ‘Armed Militia’". By: Will Neal. Oct. 14, 2024)
The October 8, 2024 Politico article reported that "Musk ... helped spread accusations that [FEMA] 'actively blocked' donations to victims of Helene and is 'seizing goods … and locking them away to state they are their own'." ... "On ... X, Musk also amplified rumors that authorities in North Carolina had 'taken control to stop people helping' stricken residents and accusations that sheriffs were threatening to arrest FEMA staff 'if they hinder rescue and aid work.' Many of his allegations centered on the claim that immigrants had already depleted federal disaster funds, which FEMA has said is untrue."
The Daily Beast article also noted that the conspiracy theories about the storms and FEMA's response "forced government officials to flee a North Carolina county amid reported threats of armed civilians out “hunting” for hurricane relief workers. ... [A] U.S. Forest Service official sent an email to several different federal agencies warning 'National Guard troops had come across x2 trucks of armed militia saying [they] were out hunting FEMA'" ... "Other ... pundits have suggested the weather was somehow engineered as part of a conspiracy to provide political cover to mega-corporations engaged in lithium mining, as well as spreading fake reports of citizens being deliberately abandoned in the rubble."
The problem with the continued weather recover lies is that the victims who are the most desperate for assistance are either not receiving timely support or refusing aid all together.
Another problem with the continued falsehoods and misrepresentations is that many people believe the fabrications as true and some will take action against poll workers, immigrants, government officials, and others who are trying to earn an honest living and/or performing their civic responsibilities.
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