Musk kicks off campaign swing for Trump in Pennsylvania

Tech billionaire Elon Musk kicked off a campaign swing across Pennsylvania Thursday in support of former President Trump, underlining the importance of the battleground state in the rapidly nearing election. 

“I can’t emphasize enough that Pennsylvania is, I think, the linchpin in this election,” Musk said at a town hall in Folsom, Pa. “This election, I think, is going to decide the fate of America, and along with the fate of America, the fate of Western civilization.” 

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has thrown his support behind Trump and said he plans to “probably do half a dozen” events across the Keystone State in the final weeks before the election to boost the former president. 

At Thursday’s town hall, Musk emphasized the state’s upcoming voter registration deadline, urging attendees to register and encourage their families and friends to register by Monday. 

“The next, basically, three days are essential,” Musk said. “I think we see that this election will be decided in Pennsylvania by, it could be 10,000 votes, it could be 1,000 votes, it could be 10 votes. It could be some very tiny number, so every incremental person is a huge difference.”  

“I haven’t been politically active before,” he added. “I’m politically active now because I think the future of America, the future of civilization, is at stake.” 

Musk appears to have future events planned for Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Philadelphia, according to the website of his pro-Trump super PAC. 

America PAC, which the billionaire founded earlier this year, is backing the events. Newly filed campaign finance records show that Musk, the richest person on the planet, personally contributed $75 million to the super PAC. 

The PAC has played a key role in the Trump campaign’s get-out-the-vote efforts in swing states, at times taking an unusual approach to voter outreach.  

In recent weeks, America PAC has offered supporters $47 for each swing state voter they get to sign a petition supporting the First and Second amendments, in an apparent effort to identify potential Trump voters in the battleground states. Attendees at Thursday’s town hall were also required to sign the petition. 

Pennsylvania is one of several states that will likely be key in deciding next month’s election. Trump and Vice President Harris are currently locked in an extremely tight race, with The Hill/Decision Desk HQ polling average showing the vice president up by just 2.7 percentage points nationally and less than 1 point in the state. 

A poll from the University of Massachusetts Lowell Center for Public Opinion and YouGov released Thursday showed Harris leading Trump by just 1 point in Pennsylvania.