Elon Musk Plans to Campaign for Trump in Battleground Pennsylvania

Elon Musk plans to campaign for Donald Trump in Pennsylvania this month, according to a person familiar with the effort, a battleground state that could determine the winner of the presidential election.

Musk will appear in connection with the super political action committee he founded earlier this year, America PAC, the person said, requesting anonymity to discuss plans which were not yet finalized. Musk’s group has spent more than $77.6 million to support Trump in the November election.

The world’s richest man appeared with Trump at a Saturday campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania — the site of an assassination attempt on Trump’s life in July — and went to a Pittsburgh Steelers game Sunday wearing his black “Dark MAGA” cap, referring to Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan. No other joint events with the Republican nominee have yet been announced. 

Pennsylvania, with its 19 electoral votes, has emerged as the fiercest battleground state. It’s attracted more advertising dollars from Trump’s political operation and Vice President Kamala Harris’ team than any other swing state. The candidates are tied in the polls in the state, according to a RealClearPolitics average.

Trump will travel to the commonwealth on Wednesday, holding events in both Scranton and Reading. President Joe Biden will also be in Philadelphia this week to campaign on behalf of Harris, the Democratic nominee.

Musk, 53, oversees a sprawling empire of six companies, including Tesla Inc., SpaceX and X, the social media platform that he bought for $44 billion. Musk attended the University of Pennsylvania in the 1990s.

“Elon is a true American success story and a great addition to the team. The president thinks highly of him,” Chris LaCivita, a Trump campaign co-manager, said in an interview Saturday. “He’s engaged lots of different levels, obviously, with his super PAC that he’s doing.”

Musk and a representative for the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to separate requests to comment about the effort in Pennsylvania. Politico first reported Musk’s plans to campaign in the state for Trump.

Earlier: Trump Rallies With Musk at Site of Assassination Attempt

Over the weekend, America PAC started posting on X from the “@America” account and encouraged people to register to vote in battleground states. Musk urged people to refer registered voters in swing states to sign a petition supporting free speech and gun rights. He offered $47 for each battleground voter they got to sign the petition.

Musk and Trump, 78, have a complex history. Musk served on Trump’s business advisory councils during his first term, but quit in June 2017 after Trump announced that the US would withdraw from the landmark Paris climate accord. 

In 2022, Trump posted on Truth Social that Musk came to the White House asking for government support for his companies and that Trump could have said “drop to your knees and beg,” and Musk would have done it. 

More recently, the two men find themselves increasingly aligned around issues of border security, crime, taxes and government regulation.

This past summer, Musk endorsed Trump and has been actively promoting him on X, the social media platform he owns, and funneling millions of dollars to support his campaign through his PAC.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.