Elon Musk holds his first solo event in support of Trump in the Philadelphia suburbs

Elon Musk supports Trump, urges early voting in Pennsylvania, sparking questions and controversy among attendees.

Elon Musk held his first solo event in support of Donald Trump for President on Thursday (October 17, 2024), encouraging voters in the Philadelphia suburbs to register to cast their ballots and vote early, though some attendees shouted back, “Why?”

The America Political Action Committee (PAC) event at Ridley High School's auditorium in Folsom featured the world's richest man speaking onstage in front of a large U.S. flag for roughly 15 minutes before taking questions from the crowd, many of whom wore “Make America Great Again” hats.

The event was billed as a call to action to vote early in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania, where Mr. Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris are fiercely contesting the election. Some in the crowd questioned Musk's intentions to vote early, reflecting the possibility that Republicans are still persuading their supporters to embrace early voting after Mr. Trump spent years demonizing the method.

The crowd rose to its feet and took cellphone videos as Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla and Space X and owner of the social media platform X, walked onstage. They remained standing during his remarks and cheered loudly after he said the U.S. Constitution needs to be upheld.

“This is literally the fundamental values that made America what it is today. And anyone who is against those things is fundamentally anti-American and to hell with them,” said Musk, who was born in South Africa. The crowd erupted.

He exhorted the crowd to make sure they and their friends and family were registered to vote and to “pester” those who weren't. Toward the end of the question period, which included more than a dozen from those in the audience, he was asked to explain whether people should vote early in Pennsylvania. Musk was momentarily distracted by a fan waving a hat, which he appeared to sign, and then by a child whom he brought onstage for a photo.

Redirected to the question, he said people should vote immediately.