Elon Musk’s pro-Trump super PAC ramps up swing state operations

A super PAC that Elon Musk helped create has ramped up spending on behalf of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in recent weeks, splashing out millions of dollars primarily in swing states.

The burst of activity adds to the evidence of Musk’s growing political alliance with the former president, with the billionaire and his funding playing a key role in the effort to win Trump a second term.

The committee, called America PAC, has spent nearly $33 million since it emerged from a summer spending lull in mid-August, far exceeding the amount it had spent to that date since its formation in late May, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. Filings show the money has primarily funded get-out-the vote operations in battleground states including door-knocking, digital advertising and mailers.

In recent days, America PAC has barraged voters in North Carolina with door-hangers and mail pieces. One mailer provided to The Washington Post calls Democratic nominee Kamala Harris “Radical. Liberal. Dangerous” while describing Trump as the candidate who would “secure our border, restore law & order and lower costs for North Carolinians.”

Musk said in a July interview with controversial psychologist Jordan Peterson that America PAC is not intended to be “hyperpartisan,” but materials distributed in North Carolina and online ads reviewed by The Post clearly support Trump and oppose Harris. They largely echo right-wing rhetoric that Musk has recently promoted on his social media platform X, where he has railed against immigration and made unsubstantiated claims of election interference.

Another door-hanger says “Make your plan to VOTE” and includes a QR code that points to America PAC’s webpage, where voters who provide personal information are directed to official pages for voter registration or requesting an absentee ballot.

That reflects America PAC’s decision, like numerous other pro-Trump committees, to diverge from their candidate by encouraging voters to cast ballots however they prefer. Trump continues to criticize voting by mail and claims without evidence that it has allowed millions of fraudulent ballots to be cast.

Whether the committee is targeting the North Carolina voters that Trump needs to carry the state is less clear. The mailers and door-hangers obtained by The Post were delivered to a longtime conservative operative in the state who was already committed to Trump and votes regularly in federal elections.

“It’s a little screwy that I’m on their list,” said the individual, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss campaign tactics candidly. “Stupid to waste money on someone who is a guaranteed Trump vote.”

America PAC also has increased online spending in recent days, largely targeting swing states such as Nevada, Georgia and Arizona.

The committee has more than doubled its spending on X over the past month — from $37,000 to more than $100,000 — with its ads mostly targeted at users in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin and Georgia, according to data disclosed by the platform on Sept. 13. The PAC’s spending has been much greater on other, larger platforms such as YouTube and Facebook, including more than $383,000 on Google ads primarily targeted in Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.

A spokesman for America PAC declined to comment on its activities, which, apart from mandated FEC reports, have largely been shrouded in secrecy since the committee’s inception. But several people familiar with the effort described Musk’s close involvement in the project and the entrepreneur’s interest in helping Trump win because of his desire to cut government spending and the candidate’s policies on the border and public safety.

Musk has been intensely focused from the project’s beginnings on the PAC’s ground game, aiming to reach the hundreds of thousands of voters who are generally unengaged in the election or not registered, according to these people.

“He’s more interested in the nuts and bolts, rather than the air war stuff,” one of the individuals said, speaking anonymously to describe private conversations. “If Trump pulls this off, it will be Elon’s PAC that will have heavily contributed to that success because there is no other serious ground game going on.”

Musk joined forces in early spring with Richard Weekley, a Texas real estate developer and Republican donor, and Denis Calabrese, a Republican political strategist, to assemble a team and propose a strategy for a pro-Trump PAC.

Weekley tapped two major firms in Texas — Raconteur Media for digital advertising and In Field Strategies for canvassing — and told them to draw up a plan, according to people familiar with the matter.

During an hour-and-a-half meeting in Musk’s sparsely decorated apartment in downtown Austin, the billionaire told the group that he was looking to trigger a “red wave,” with his main goal being to register more Trump voters in the battleground states, according to a person familiar with the meeting. The group discussed deploying thousands of canvassers in battleground states.

At the meeting, Musk was also presented an advertising plan that included purchasing TV spots, according to the person. Musk said he was skeptical of the need for TV advertising because he grew electric automaker Tesla into a giant without TV commercials. One of his advisers countered that “this is Trump not Tesla.” Musk laughed and said that was a fair point, the person said.

The vendors initially estimated America PAC would need between $100 million to $130 million to pull off Musk’s ambitious vision in such a short timeline. Musk didn’t commit to a specific dollar amount, but said he was open to increasing or decreasing his donations depending on what was needed, the person said.

Musk stayed engaged in the weeks after the planning meeting, checking on progress in hour-long meetings every Friday, the people familiar with the matter said.

During those calls, Musk focused on granular details of the PAC’s operations: how many people had been hired, how many voters had been contacted, how many new people had they registered. Several weeks into the effort, the entrepreneur brought on political operatives Phil Cox, David Rexrode and Generra Peck, the people said.

In mid-July, Peck sent Raconteur and In Field a short email that said the committee was moving forward with different vendors without any further explanation, the people said. Calabrese and Weekley have since been “sidelined” in the effort, one of the people said.

Calabrese and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Weekley could not be reached for comment.

Since firing its original vendors, America PAC has hired several canvassing firms, including one called Blitz Canvassing, according to FEC filings. A job ad for Blitz in Michigan invites applicants to “come work at America PAC — the super PAC working to elect Donald Trump and defeat Kamala Harris.”

“We want patriots — moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, those working nights and weekends, or those looking for a 50 hour workweek,” the ad says. “Trump fights for us. Now we need you to come work — to fight back for him.”

On the job application, Blitz makes America PAC’s values and mission clear: “We are fiscal conservatives, believe in limited government, and know that this is the greatest country in the world. We will work to advocate for these ideals every day while fighting to save this country. Is this agreeable to you?”

Blitz is part of a partnership of consulting firms called GP3, where Cox is a partner. America PAC’s filings indicate it is also doing business with two other partners of GP3, Red Maverick Media and IMGE, which have provided printing, postage and digital ad services.

Cox did not immediately respond to an inquiry from The Post.

Since endorsing Trump on the day the former president was shot at a Pennsylvania rally in July, Musk has used his account on X to fiercely advocate for the Republican nominee and to bash his opponent. The entrepreneur has at times amplified false claims, including allegations of widespread noncitizen voting that have prompted pressure campaigns on local election officials.

Some online ads circulated by America PAC also push unfounded claims. One placed on X suggests without evidence that the former president’s political opponents “tried to kick Trump off your ballot. They even tried to end his campaign and take him out for good.”

Musk has also frequently attacked Harris on X. One of his posts this month included a fake image apparently generated with artificial intelligence that depicted her in a red uniform emblazoned with a hammer and sickle.

Days later, an ad placed by America PAC on Facebook and Instagram included a video with a Russian-accented narration that said, “Meet Comrade Kamala — Ready to bring Soviet Union to Michigan.”