- Elon Musk’s super PAC is trying to get young men to vote for Donald Trump.
- Ads by the America PAC tout Trump as “the American badass” who can save the nation.
- Young men aged 18 to 44 have historically turned out to vote less than their female counterparts.
Former President Donald Trump has long relied on a “macho man” schtick to win favor with voters. His allies are now following suit.
Since publicly endorsing Trump in July, billionaire Elon Musk has used his platform to support the former president. Now, his super PAC, which has spent millions to keep Republicans in control of the House, is touting 78-year-old Trump as “the American badass” in an apparent attempt to appeal to young male voters.
The 15-second ad funded by America PAC opens with a still shot of a young bearded man slumped on a couch. Clad in a white tank top, he holds a slice of pizza in one hand and a remote in the other.
"If you sit this election out, Kamala and the crazies will win. That means you'll be stuck with higher costs and more illegals invading our country," a masculine voice warns. "Trump is the American badass who will stop this nonsense. Vote for Trump and save America."
Targeting young men between 18 and 44 may or may not be a good use of money. According to data from the Center for American Women and Politics, they have historically voted in smaller numbers than their female counterparts, which presents an opportunity. However, polling shows that Trump needs to perform better among women to win the election.
Musk first endorsed Trump following the assassination attempt on the former president in July. Ever since, he has gushed over Trump and his running mate, JD Vance.
After a clip went viral of Trump telling supporters they "won't have to vote anymore" if they elect him in November, eliciting a chorus of concern from Democrats, Musk rushed to his defense.
"Trump is asking low propensity voters to go out and vote," after which Trump would try to implement stronger voter ID laws, Musk said in a post. "That would reduce, in his opinion, the amount of voter fraud to the point where low propensity voters don't need to bother voting next time."
In another post, Musk said "Trump must win" to save the nation's democracy and preserve free speech.
Though they once had a rocky relationship, Musk is now so squarely in Trump's camp that the candidate has said he'd offer Musk a cabinet position, to which Musk said he would accept.