By Jarrett Renshaw
HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (Reuters) – Billionaire Elon Musk pledged on Saturday to give away $1 million every day until the November election to anyone who signs his online petition in support of the U.S. Constitution.
And he wasted no time in handing out a $1 million check to an attendee at his Pennsylvania event aimed at rallying supporters behind Republican Donald Trump. According to event staff, the winner was a man named John Dreher.
“John had no idea, by the way. So anyway, you're welcome,” the Tesla founder said as he presented Dreher with the check.
The money is the latest example of Musk using his extraordinary wealth to influence the closely contested presidential race between Trump and his Democratic rival Kamala Harris.
Musk founded America PAC, a political action organization he founded to support Trump's presidential campaign. The group helps mobilize and register voters in battleground states, but there are signs that it is struggling to achieve its goals.
The Harrisburg event is the third in as many days in Pennsylvania, where Musk is painting the November election in stark terms, encouraging supporters to vote early and urging others to do the same.
He said on Saturday that if Harris wins, it will be “the last election,” suggesting the US will no longer exist.
He also said the two assassination attempts on Trump prove he is upending the status quo in ways Harris won't. He said that's why no one is trying to kill Harris.
“Killing a puppet sucks,” Musk said, repeating an argument he made in a social media post.
The petition Musk is asking people to sign reads: “The First and Second Amendments guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. By signing below, I pledge my support for the First and Second Amendments.”
Attendees of Saturday's event were required to sign the petition, which will allow America PAC to collect contact information for more potential voters that it can use to get to the polls for Trump.
Musk, ranked by Forbes as the world's richest person, has provided at least $75 million to America PAC so far, according to federal disclosures, making the group a crucial part of Trump's effort to win back the White House.
The entrepreneur behind automaker Tesla and rocket and satellite company SpaceX has increasingly backed Republican causes and became an outspoken supporter of Trump this year.
Trump, for his part, has said that if elected he would appoint Musk to head a government efficiency commission.
(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Tom Hogue)
