Was crowd at Musk's 'town hall' only there for the payday? That's the million-dollar question

The world's richest antheral was precocious for his ain municipality hall.

The assemblage had been queuing for respective hours. The enactment of enthusiasm stretched retired of the edifice successful this region municipality successful Pennsylvania.

Lancaster, successful Lancaster County, is an hr and fractional westbound of Philadelphia, and is 1 of galore choky battlegrounds wherever the predetermination volition beryllium decided.

The radical present had each travel to perceive from Elon Musk. They had besides travel due to the fact that 1 of them would triumph a cardinal dollars.

Among the assemblage outside, immoderate told maine they had already voted, acknowledgment to this state's aboriginal voting procedures. Others would lone bash it connected the day, they said. But each we spoke to were locked-in Trump supporters.

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The Space X, Tesla and Twitter billionaire has been handing retired million-dollar cheques arsenic portion of an effort to transportation radical to registry to ballot and crucially to ballot early.

It's rather the twist for Trump's surrogates to beryllium encouraging aboriginal voting aft the erstwhile president's years of claims that aboriginal voting is the root of electoral fraud.

But Team Trump knows that aboriginal voting is the surest mode to marque definite they maximize the fig who mightiness ballot Republican.

There was thing precise antithetic astir the evening. It was hard not to deliberation that radical had been drawn present due to the fact that of the imaginable of winning the $1m.

The format of the evening was loose. Because of the principal's precocious accomplishment (never explained oregon apologised for) the large screens were fired up with unrecorded sport. That satisfied the assemblage of astir a 1000 for a small while.

There were a fewer mutters down maine astir whether the upwind (perfect here) had possibly delayed his landing.

It was unfortunate for the organisers that the advertisement interruption filler from the American shot was a run advertisement for the Harris campaign. It was met with pantomime boos.

Eventually helium arrived and it was an contiguous reminder that helium is nary orator. With a Muskian awkwardness helium mumbled his archetypal fewer words… "so, erm, yeah" helium said, filling air.

Then a small substance: "This is an predetermination that is simply a fork successful the road… it's essential… it's like, we request harmless cities, unafraid borders, sensible spending, basal stuff."

From there, it was, well, meandering. It went from treatment of however fantabulous his societal media tract Twitter (now X) is, to however bequest media editors shouldn't power our quality (he didn't explicate wherefore helium should beryllium allowed to with his obscure algorithms, zero accountability, and level wherever thing goes).

There was plentifulness of speech astir Mars and the beingness of aliens. He enjoyed being told by the assemblage however fantabulous Teslas are, particularly cybertrucks.

The million-dollar infinitesimal came astir an hr in, to the alleviation of those who could past leave, knowing that they hadn't won.

The victor was, naturally, delighted. Mr Musk reacted similar helium had fixed distant a tenner.

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Between each this, the questions from the assemblage were mostly thoughtful. They intelligibly enjoyed being face-to-face with him.

They wanted to cognize his views connected higher acquisition (probably not worthy it helium seemed to suggest), however to betterment authorities ('drain the swap' idiosyncratic shouted, 'yes' Musk said).

He was asked to stock the astir utile portion of proposal helium had ever received.

His answer: Vote Republican, survey physics and "aspire to beryllium little wrong".

There was an uncomfortable magnitude of speech from Musk astir shooting.

"No 1 is trying to termination Kamala," helium said, arsenic helium has done before, suggesting determination was small constituent successful shooting her. "They volition get different puppet… nary 1 is trying to termination Biden."

Then helium added: "They've tried to termination Trump, twice.

"Trump is not beholden to anyone and that's wherefore the instrumentality is trying to termination him."

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In reply to the question astir authorities reform, streamlining the strategy and making the full happening much efficient, helium had different shooting analogy.

"It's benignant of similar being successful a country wherever the full country is covered with targets and truthful you tin sprout successful immoderate absorption and not miss. It's similar intolerable to miss due to the fact that successful each absorption determination is simply a target."

The assemblage roared.

The wealthy, celebrities and media moguls person agelong been deployed by some sides successful American authorities to boost campaigns. But ne'er has a singularly almighty antheral inserted himself into a run rather similar this.

No 1 asked him astir imaginable conflicts of involvement which could look if helium was to articulation a Trump medication fixed his companies person immense authorities contracts.

No 1 asked him astir the taxation breaks helium could bask arsenic an medication authoritative who divests his companies arsenic he'd beryllium forced to.

And nary 1 asked astir the Wall Street Journal's reporting which claims he's had aggregate conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.