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Posted: 2024-10-17T20:31:37Z | Updated: 2024-10-17T20:31:37Z

A few days after Elon Musk first offered to buy what was then called Twitter and is now X, he wrote that the website must be politically neutral in order to deserve the publics trust which effectively means upsetting the far right and the far left equally.

Two years later, with a significant presidential election fast approaching, Musk has thrown neutrality out the window and spent millions to boost former President Donald Trumps campaign, raising concerns that hell use the platform to help Trump as well.

And if Trump loses and once again contests the election result , Musk could wield a massive social media platform weaponized to boost conspiracy theories about the November vote. X did not respond to HuffPost questions for this story.

Earlier this year, Musk said he wasnt donating money to either presidential candidate. In July, he denied a Wall Street Journal report that Musk said he planned on donating around $45 million a month to a super PAC he helped create , America PAC, that has aggressively supported Trumps campaign in key states throughout the country.

On Tuesday, however, the first federal campaign finance records were published since the Journals report showing Musks seven donations to the PAC between July 3 and Sept. 5 . In total, the records show Musk has given just under $75 million to the PAC.

Musks donations grew over time, starting in $5 million increments in July (meaning hed given $10 million to the PAC before the Journal story published) and culminating in a single $30 million donation on Sept. 5. The America PAC money will be used to pay hourly wages for door-to-door canvassers , and for direct mail and advertisements. In addition to spending heavily on the presidential race and reportedly becoming a crucial part of Trumps ground game , the super PAC is also backing Republicans in several key congressional districts .

Like Musk himself, the PAC has resorted to outrageous rhetoric to boost Trump. One America PAC ad on X refers to an undefined they, an apparent reference to Donald Trumps political enemies collectively, with a narrator saying, They tried to kick Trump off your ballot. They even tried to end his campaign and take him out for good. During that dialogue, pictures of Vice President Kamala Harris and then a bloodied Trump at his first Butler, Pennsylvania, rally flash on screen. The ad closes with the written text, Vote for President Trump like your life depends on it...

If you sit this election out, Kamala and the crazies will win, another America PAC ad declares . You will be stuck with higher costs and more illegals invading our country.

Musk has reportedly also used the levers of power at X to help the pro-Trump PAC.

Earlier this month, Musk seized the @America username from a longtime user of the website who in the past had criticized both Musk and Trump, journalist Matt Binder reported . Musk had previously done the same with the @X account but this time, the seizure had nothing to do with the companys interests, Binder observed . It was about helping Musks political organization help Trump.

Now, Musks PAC is effectively paying for information about energized right-leaning voters in key swing states. A pro-First and Second Amendment petition on the America PAC website promises a $47 reward for every new referral. The offers fine print says it only applies to referrers and registered voters in seven swing states.

As HuffPost reported Tuesday , Musk has also funded one of the most cynical super PACs of the election cycle, Future Coalition PAC.

In areas of Michigan with large numbers of Muslim and Arab voters, the group is running advertisements highlighting Harris support for Israel, and sending mailers saying she leans on Jewish husband Doug Emhoff to advise on high-level pro-Israel policies. At the same time, its also running ads targeted at Jewish voters in Pennsylvania with dialogue like, Why did Harris show sympathy for college protesters who are rabidly antisemitic?