Billionaire Elon Musk is actively involved in promoting voter registration in Pennsylvania, aiming to increase the registration numbers in this key state before the deadline on October 21st.
During another event supporting former President Donald Trump held in Pennsylvania, Musk addressed over 1,000 attendees, emphasizing the importance of Trump’s re-election as President. He urged voters to register in this swing state before the October 21st deadline.
Previously, Musk offered a $47 reward to each voter registered or referred in the crucial swing state. On October 17th, he raised the reward to $100 in Pennsylvania. To receive the reward, voters also need to sign a petition supporting the first and second amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
On Friday, Musk’s town hall meeting at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia was the second event in a series supporting Trump. A survey by the University of Massachusetts and YouGov on Thursday showed Vice President Harris leading by 1 percentage point. If either candidate fails to win the key state of Pennsylvania, their path to the White House will become more challenging.
Musk explained his active involvement in this election, stating, “I believe this election is crucial. It’s essentially a choice between freedom/opportunity and oppression/communism. That’s what we are facing.”
He encouraged Trump supporters to be “loud and proud” and to display yard signs in the blue areas of Pennsylvania, mainly concentrated in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and their surroundings.
A topic discussed after the event on Friday was the possible role Musk could play in the Trump administration to improve government efficiency. Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to reduce regulations to promote business and economic growth.
Musk stated he would “reduce a large number of government employees” by giving two years of severance pay to laid-off government workers, allowing them to “look for other job opportunities.”
He also expressed agreement with an idea presented by attendees – using artificial intelligence to track laws, regulations, and government spending.
Many attendees admired Musk’s products and technology from his companies, Tesla and SpaceX. On October 13th, SpaceX’s reusable Starship successfully returned a rocket to the launch pad for the first time, crucial for NASA’s plans to establish a permanent base on the moon.
Audience assistant Jo-Ann Bonanno expressed great interest in Musk, stating, “I think he’s very smart and has brought a lot to today’s society through his innovations and technology.” Speaking to NTD TV, a sister media of The Epoch Times, she said, “He stands with Trump… that’s a good thing.”
She added, “He has brought a lot of hope and opportunities for young people… people don’t have enough to look forward to, there’s no means of making money or new business opportunities.”
29-year-old tech salesperson Purav Barot voiced his support for Trump, citing his exhaustion with the current environment, high inflation, and rising costs. He emphasized that his vote is based on policies and past accomplishments, rather than personal charisma. “Every vote counts in this election, and every voice matters,” he stated in an NTD interview.
During the first Pennsylvania town hall meeting in Delaware County on October 17th, Musk described the tense competition in this swing state, saying, “I think this election will be decided in Pennsylvania, possibly by 10,000 votes, 1,000 votes, or even 10 votes. It could be a very small number, so every additional voter could have a massive impact.” He added on October 18th, “If Trump doesn’t win, we’re done.”
Following the event on Friday, construction company owner Dana Medwid told NTD that she admires Musk’s “political wisdom, talent, and everything he talked about for the future.” She emphasized, “He said some very important things – if our country doesn’t change, it’s destined to fail, and the whole world will perish. I agree with that.”
Retired contractor Ron Main stated in an NTD interview, “I think Elon Musk has a very good concept of the needs of America and the world. We need less federal government. We need more independence to chart our own course like him.”
Main expressed his concerns about open borders, currency inflation, and crime. “Our descendants need to grow up in a safe country, have the opportunity to have good days and achieve their dreams. We’re on the edge of losing all of that. I want to see a more peaceful world. We’ve had four years without war. Now, everywhere is war.”
Engineer Anthony Olgino told NTD, “The past three and a half years have been really tough. Inflation has reached a 40-year high, gas prices are up, heating costs are higher, you’ll be surprised when you go to the grocery store, spending $300 for a small basket of food at checkout.” He also pointed to border issues, wars in Ukraine, Israel, and chaos in Afghanistan. He believes some people are very disappointed with the events of the past three and a half years.
Audience member April Starshine stated to NTD, “Elon is amazing. He protects the First Amendment. He acquired Twitter, now known as X. This is very important.”
Starshine expressed her concerns about borders, the economy, and energy issues. “We need to close the border. People can come in. ‘Welcome, come on in.’ But you have to come in through the front door, we need to know who you are.” She emphasized, “We need energy, we need oil in Pennsylvania, we have a lot of liquid gold beneath our feet. We must achieve energy independence. We should obtain our own oil from America and become an energy leader.”
Elon Musk’s political action committee, America PAC, has contributed over $75 million to Trump’s campaign team from July to September. According to PAC’s website, Musk held another town hall meeting in Harrisburg on Saturday, October 19th, and has a pending event in Pittsburgh.
In the past year, through Pennsylvania’s new fast registration process, there have been 5,000 more registered Republican voters than Democratic voters, as many people completed registration while applying for or renewing driver’s licenses.
Another billionaire and venture capitalist, Mark Cuban, is campaigning for the Democratic Party. He joined Vice President Harris in Wisconsin on Thursday and spoke again at a rally in Arizona on Saturday. On Sunday, Cuban campaigned with Vice President Harris’s husband, Douglas Emhoff, in Michigan.
Musk believes that if Trump doesn’t become the next President, the country is doomed to fail. In contrast, Cuban’s tone is more light-hearted, joking about Trump. He mentioned Trump’s plan to impose over 60% tariffs on Chinese goods, stating that Trump doesn’t understand how tariffs work.