Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX and The Boring Company, on Saturday pledged to distribute $1 million per day through Nov. 5 to people who sign his online petition supporting the U.S. Constitution.
True to his word, Musk immediately awarded a check for $1 million to John Dreher, a participant in the event dedicated to gathering supporters of former US President and Republican actor Donald Trump, according to event staff.
“John had no idea, by the way. So, anyway, welcome,” the Tesla founder said as he handed Dreher the check.
The generosity is the latest example of Musk using his extraordinary wealth to influence the hotly contested presidential race between Trump and his Democratic rival Kamala Harris.
Musk created America PAC, a political action organization he founded to support Trump’s presidential campaign. The group helps mobilize and register voters in states witnessing an electoral battle, but there are indications that it is facing difficulty in achieving its goals.
The Harrisburg event is the third in as many days in Pennsylvania, where Musk portrays the November election in stark terms, encouraging supporters to vote early and urging others to do the same.
He said on Saturday that if Harris wins, it will be “the last election,” indicating that the United States will no longer exist.
He also said the two assassination attempts against Trump prove he is ruffling feathers and upending the status quo in ways Harris will not. That’s why no one is trying to kill Harris, he said.
“Assassinating a puppet is worthless,” Musk said, repeating the argument he made in a social media post.
The petition that Musk is asking people to sign says: “The First and Second Amendments guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. By signing below, I pledge to support the First and Second Amendments.”
Attendees of Saturday’s event had to sign the petition, which allows America PAC to collect contact details for more potential voters who could work to get to the polls for Trump.
Musk, ranked by Forbes magazine as the world’s richest person, has so far given at least $75 million to US political action committees, according to federal filings, making the group an important part of Trump’s bid to reclaim the White House.
The entrepreneur behind automaker Tesla opens a new tab and the SpaceX rocket and satellite project has increasingly supported Republican causes and this year became an outspoken supporter of Trump.
Trump, in turn, said that if elected, he would appoint Musk to head the Government Efficiency Commission.