Musk Transforms X into a Campaign Tool for Trump
Elon Musk promotes Trump selectively has turned his personal X account into a key platform for promoting Donald Trump’s election campaign. However, his political action committee (PAC) has been selective in using X for its broader marketing efforts. Only 3.6% of the PAC’s social media advertising budget has been allocated to X.
America PAC’s Investment in Political Ads
As of Monday, Musk’s America PAC spent around $201,000 on political advertisements on X. Recent company disclosures reveal this spending information. The platform is now known as X, previously called Twitter. In October, these ads specifically targeted Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state. Musk has actively campaigned in Pennsylvania during this election cycle.
Focus on Pennsylvania Ads
Since October 7, when Musk’s PAC gained control of the @america account, $34,366 has been spent on ads promoting a million-dollar daily giveaway and Musk’s town hall events in Pennsylvania. Before this, the PAC allocated over $166,000 in ads under another account. Despite requests, America PAC and X have declined to comment on these expenditures.
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Spending on Other Social Media Platforms
Compared to X, America PAC’s spending on other platforms is significantly higher. By October 19, the PAC had invested more than $3.8 million on ads across Meta’s platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. These ads promote Musk’s appearances and support Republican candidates. In addition, the PAC has spent $1.5 million on ads with Alphabet, which owns Google and YouTube.
Musk’s Personal Use of X for Campaigning
Musk spends little on ads for X, which connects to his extensive personal use of the platform. He actively promotes Trump to his 200 million followers and retweets PAC content. Additionally, Musk live-streams town halls from Pennsylvania to engage his audience. His X profile directs users to the PAC’s website, advocating for Trump’s candidacy.
Referral Program and Election Integrity Efforts
Alongside these efforts, Musk has launched a referral program, offering $100 to anyone who encourages voters in swing states to sign a petition supporting the U.S. Constitution. Additionally, America PAC introduced an “election integrity community” to report potential voter fraud.
Ad Transparency Issues on X
X has fallen behind in updating its political ads database, a process usually completed every two days. In contrast, Meta and Google update their ad libraries almost in real time. Although not legally required, this transparency has become a standard since 2016, when foreign groups interfered in U.S. elections via social media ads.
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