1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Elon Musk offers $1M daily prize to voters who sign petition

October 20, 2024

Elon Musk handed over the fist $1 million check to an individual in Pennsylvania who signed his petition. The billionaire Tesla and SpaceX boss has been courting Trump voters as election day nears.

https://p.dw.com/p/4m0RP
Elon Musk at a Trump campaign rally
Tesla boss Elon Musk has through his support behind Donald TrumpImage: Evan Vucci/picture alliance/AP

Elon Musk has started a petition and he's offering US voters who sign it a cash prize $1 million (€920,000) every day until the November 5 election.

The billionaire supporter of Donald Trump urged registered voters in key swing states to sign the petition to promote "free speech and the right to bear arms."

Musk said he would select one random person each day from the list of signatures and award them the million-dollar prize.

He handed over the first check on Saturday to a man in Pennsylvania — a state considered a 'must-win' for both Republicans and Democrats.

Speaking at a rally in the state, Musk said his aim was to get between 1 million and 2 million voters in swing states to sign the petition "because I think this sends a crucial message to our elected politicians."

Musk backs Trump

Musk's campaign appears to encourage Republican supports to register to vote.

Observers have suggested that such a stunt could potentially contravene laws that prohibit paying people to register to vote.

According to the Federal Election Commission, Musk has donated around $75 million over the past three months to a political action committee he set up to support the Trump campaign called America PAC.

The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has repeatedly lauded Trump — who has indicated he would tap Musk to run a budget efficiency commission if he is elected again — while publicly criticizing Democratic hopeful Kamala Harris.

zc/jcg (dpa, AFP)