With a fierce electoral dispute, Trump promises to hand over the USA to Musk

“Elon Musk’s influence over the federal government is extraordinary and extraordinarily profitable,” published the American newspaper The New York Timeslast Sunday (20). Faced with a strong picture of uncertainty regarding the course of the presidential elections in the United States, on November 5th, former president Donald Trump is betting all his chips on the richest man in the world.

Elevated in recent weeks as a campaigner for the American extreme right, Musk received as a counter-part from the Republican candidate the promise that he will be responsible for taking care of regulatory agencies, which oversee the services provided by sectors of the economy where numerous companies in the South operate. -African.

At the current stage of the race for the White House, Musk’s support appears to be decisive for the Republican campaign, which has seen the wide advantage in voting intentions for Democrats turn into a technical tie.

In the most recent survey, prepared by the Reuters news agency and the Ipsos Institute, and released this Tuesday (22), the Democratic candidate Kamala Harris appears slightly ahead of the Republican, with 46% against 43% of voting intentions, which represents technical draw.

This means that the election must be decided vote by vote and, currently, it points to an undefined scenario. Against this backdrop, the technology billionaire announced that he will donate US$1 million per day to registered voters in swing states.

“We want to try to get over a million, maybe two million voters in the battleground states to sign the petition in support of the First and Second Amendments. […] We will randomly award $1 million to people who signed the petition, every day from now until the election,” Musk said at a campaign event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, considered the most decisive state in the country.

The X owner and Tesla CEO was referring to a petition launched by his political action committee asserting alleged support for the rights to free speech and gun rights. The website, launched just before some registration deadlines, says, “this program is open exclusively to registered voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina.”

The statement immediately drew attention from election law experts, who said the lottery could violate laws against paying people to register.

Musk, the world’s richest man, has donated more than $75 million to his pro-Trump super PAC (Political Action Committee) and said he hopes the giveaway will increase registration among Trump voters. He recently joined the Pennsylvania campaign trail, holding events defending Trump, promoting his petition and spreading conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

“This is a unique request,” Musk told the crowd shortly after announcing the $1 million prize. “Just go out and talk to your friends, family, acquaintances and people you see on the street and convince them to vote. Obviously, you need to register, make sure they’re registered and…make sure they vote.”

Trump’s promises to Musk

The New York Times’ analysis, published on Sunday, of Elon Musk’s dealings with the US federal government reveals his significant influence and the profitability of this influence.

Between 2013 and 2023, companies like SpaceX and Tesla signed nearly 100 contracts with 17 federal agencies, totaling billions of dollars. SpaceX, for example, is crucial to NASA and the Department of Defense, while other agencies depend on its services to function.

In addition to being a major government supplier, Musk has fierce disputes with regulatory agencies over safety and environmental impact. His companies have been the target of at least 20 recent investigations or reviews, including into the safety of products from Tesla, its electric car maker, and environmental damage caused by SpaceX rockets.

Given Musk’s immense presence, he will be an important player in dealing with the government, regardless of who wins the election.

But the billionaire put his fortune and power at the service of former President Donald Trump; In exchange, the Republican promised to make Musk the head of a new “government efficiency commission” with the power to recommend cuts to regulatory agencies and changes to federal regulations.

This would give the world’s richest man and major government contractor the power to regulate regulators who have influence over his companies, therefore resulting in a potential — and huge — conflict of interest.