Elon Musk has falsely claimed that Democrats want to abolish elections and free speech. But he was well received at the Trump event.
US entrepreneur Elon Musk warned at a campaign event with Donald Trump that “this election could be the last”. The CEO of Tesla and Space-X claimed in Butler, Pennsylvania – USA that the Democrats wanted to take away citizens’ “right to bear arms, the right to free speech and the right to vote.” He justified this with a decision in California, where voters no longer have to present identification. “How can you vote without ID?” Musk asked, adding: “This is not a normal election. It is the most important election in US history.”
In fact, voters in California are required to present ID when registering to vote – but not when voting themselves. This practice also exists in other US states.
Critics of the rule say there is ample evidence that the ID requirement disproportionately excludes low-income and non-white voters. It also argues that there are other ways the state and counties can ensure that voters are who they say they are. But supporters of the ID requirement say it increases voter confidence in the voting process.
In recent weeks, Elon Musk has repeatedly caused a stir with untrue statements. He claimed that the Biden-Harris administration was bringing immigrants into the country to get more voters. There is no evidence of this. In addition, only US citizens are allowed to vote in the USA.
At the appearance on Saturday (local time) in Pennsylvania, Musk praised Trump highly and attacked US President Biden, even if he is no longer standing for election on November 5th. “We have a president who can barely climb a flight of stairs and a president who raises his fist when he gets shot,” said Musk, who also owns the social network X. Trump must be elected to save the Constitution and the United States.
Both Musk and the Republicans and Trump repeatedly say that “the other side” is a threat to democracy in the USA. But it was Trump supporters who stormed the seat of the US Parliament on January 6, 2021 after Trump incited them. The pro-Republican Project 2025 also calls for giving the president more power and removing opponents from the administration. Critics see this as an attempt to undermine the constitution. “Can you believe they put this in writing? Nine hundred pages of writing,” Kamala Harris said, according to CBS News. “Project 2025 is a plan that takes America back to a dark past.”
Musk called on Trump supporters to register themselves and their friends now. “You still have two days left in Georgia and Arizona,” he urged. “Drag them to voter registration,” he continued, “and make sure they vote. If they don’t, this election will be the last. That’s my prediction.” However, Musk did not say how he came up with this. After all, it was his favorite Donald Trump who recently told Christian voters that they just had to vote one more time – then his government would “fix this problem.” He left it open what exactly Trump meant. However, the statement sparked fears that Trump could try to transform the USA into an authoritarian state in a second term.