Lily Huynh/The Cougar
As the election results came in and Donald Trump’s victory was concluded, the question of voter fraud immediately came into the spotlight. One particular name many have focused on is Elon Musk, given his presence in this year’s presidential cycle.
Regardless of one’s convictions regarding the results, Elon Musk’s involvement in the election perpetuated right-wing ideas that aided in Trump’s victory. When looking into the details, Musk’s actions this presidential cycle have been predatory and abusive.
Musk’s election presence began with his acquisition of Twitter, now called X. Shortly after buying the app, Musk said, “For Twitter to deserve public trust, it must be politically neutral.”
However, that supposed neutrality quickly derailed.
Since the aforementioned quote, X has morphed from something of a social media town square to a platform powered by almost exclusively right-wing voices.
Though it started with simple endorsement posts and the like, research by the University of Pennsylvania found significant bias in the visibility both sides of the political spectrum were given.
With this discovery being almost two years before the election, it’s undeniable that the right-wing echo chamber created within the platform aided in the republican majority the US government will face come January.
Musk essentially used his power to give widespread attention to conservative ideals and voices, whether they held credibility or not. The massive amount of misinformation and broader right-wing coverage was bound to amass a larger republican turnout.
Even more than this, Musk also created the America PAC in July, a political action committee dedicated to conservative ideals. This group promised voters money in exchange for referring others to register while also running a supposed giveaway for $1 million, all of which was brought under fire for supposedly being voter fraud.
When a legal case was made against these giveaways, it was determined by a Pennsylvanian judge that Musk was allowed to continue as such, as the “giveaways” were not actually random, and, while misleading, were legal.
The problem with this, though, is that in funding such an enormous PAC during a very contentious election, Musk has effectively taken advantage of a key issue during this election cycle: poverty.
It’s no secret that many Americans are discontent with the state of the country’s economy, with the topic of costs of living being brought up many times during debates and candidate rallies. In promising money to those who follow his agenda, Musk effectively exploited the impoverished to further Trump’s campaign.
While not illegal, the America PAC was exploitative and will continue to be so, if its track record is anything to go by. Even if its legality remains upheld, it is shameful that a man with such a large amount of influence is allowed to abuse the system in such a way.
The combination of X’s conservative echo chamber and exploitative practices by Elon Musk goes to show that those like him cannot be left unchecked. Legal or not, elections are sensitive subjects, and practices surrounding them should not be as manipulative as his.
Parker Hodges-Beggs is a journalism sophomore who can be reached at [email protected]
