If you’re a Michigan voter and perform a Google search, you might be in for a surprise. An ad could appear showing a young man in bed late at night, receiving a text that reads, “Hey you need to vote,” accompanied by a video of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The video captures gunshots and screams as Trump is rushed off stage, blood streaming down his face. The shocked man types back, “This is out of control. How do I start?”
The ad then directs viewers to a website for a group called America PAC, promising to help them register to vote. However, the experience varies greatly depending on the viewer’s location. If you’re in a non-competitive state like California or Wyoming, you’ll quickly be guided to your state’s voter registration page after entering your email address and ZIP code. But if you’re in a battleground state like Pennsylvania or Georgia, the process becomes more complex.
Battleground state residents are prompted to fill out a detailed personal information form, including their address, cellphone number, and age. Even after submitting all this information, they aren’t directed to a voter registration page but instead see a “thank you” page.
In reality, the ad doesn’t assist in voter registration at all. Instead, it collects valuable personal data for a political operation. This operation is a political action committee (PAC) created by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, designed to support Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump against Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumed Democratic nominee.
“I have created a PAC, or a super PAC … the America PAC,” Musk announced in a recent interview. Musk, who also owns the social media platform X, has a net worth exceeding $235 billion according to Forbes. With control over a major social media platform and a PAC with vast resources, Musk has become a significant player in the upcoming presidential election for the first time.
