Will Elon Musk Tip the Election for Trump?

You mightiness know him from Tesla and SpaceX, but present Elon Musk spends a batch of his clip campaigning for erstwhile president Donald Trump. WIRED’s David Gilbert and Vittoria Elliott articulation Leah to speech astir what Musk gets from going each successful connected Trump — and whether he’ll triumph Trump the White House.

Leah Feiger is @LeahFeiger.  David Gilbert is @DaithaiGilbert. Vittoria Elliott is @telliotter. Write to america astatine politicslab@WIRED.com. Be definite to subscribe to the WIRED Politics Lab newsletter here.

Mentioned this week:
Elon Musk Spoke astatine a Trump Rally, Referenced ‘Dark MAGA,’ and Urged Supporters to Vote by Vittoria Elliott and Tess Owen
Right-Wing Influencers Claim ‘They’ Defeated Physics, Geoengineered Hurricane Milton by Tess Owen

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Transcript

Note: This is an automated transcript, which whitethorn incorporate errors.

Leah Feiger: This is WIRED Politics Lab, a amusement astir however tech is changing politics. I'm Leah Feiger, the elder authorities exertion astatine WIRED. Last weekend, Donald Trump returned to Butler, Pennsylvania to clasp a rally successful the aforesaid spot helium was changeable astir 3 months ago.

Donald Trump [Archival audio]: Our question to marque America large again stands stronger, prouder, much united, much determined and nearer to triumph than ever before. We're going to marque America large again, going to triumph the election, going to triumph the election.

Leah Feiger: During his hr and a fractional agelong speech, Trump rattled disconnected immoderate of the hits. The borders aren't safe, the Democrats volition cheat successful the election. But Trump besides had thing caller to connection astatine this rally, a peculiar guest.

Donald Trump [Archival audio]: He created the archetypal large American car institution successful generations, and his rocket institution is the lone crushed we tin present nonstop American astronauts into space.

Leah Feiger: Elon Musk.

Donald Trump [Archival audio]: Take over, Elon. Yes, instrumentality over.

Leah Feiger: Over the past fewer weeks, Musk has go the astir important Trump protagonist determination is. From his donations totaling millions of dollars, to his promotion of conspiracy theories connected X, the societal level helium owns.

Elon Musk [Archival audio]: This is nary mean election. The different broadside wants to instrumentality distant your state of speech, they privation to instrumentality distant your close to carnivore arms, they privation to instrumentality distant your close to vote, effectively.

Leah Feiger: We've wanted to bash a Musk occurrence for a agelong time, and it's yet here. Why has Musk thrown himself into statesmanlike politics? What does helium get retired of it, and is helium going to assistance triumph Trump the Oval Office? Joining maine contiguous from Cork, Ireland to speech astir each of this is WIRED elder reporter, David Gilbert. Hey, David.

David Gilbert: Hey, Leah.

Leah Feiger: And WIRED reporter, Victoria Elliott, who was successful Butler to spot the rally up close.

Vittoria Elliott: Hey, Leah.

Leah Feiger: Tori, what was the rally like? What did radical archer you? What were you seeing?

Vittoria Elliott: The vibe that you got erstwhile you were successful was similar a fusion of an outdoor performance and church.

Leah Feiger: Fun, that's a combo.

Vittoria Elliott: There were radical who had picnic blankets, determination was blistery dogs for sale, and radical came determination from different places. There was 1 idiosyncratic who spoke to maine who had driven determination from Eastern Pennsylvania, which is astir a five-hour drive. There were radical determination who had travel from Ohio, the mode that you would question to spell to a performance of idiosyncratic you were truly excited to see. And the crushed I accidental it feels church-like, and I'm not the archetypal idiosyncratic to accidental this, NPR earlier this week made that analogy arsenic well, peculiarly with the thought that Trump was saved from assassination by the manus of God, was this feeling wherever you spell successful wherever everyone knows the lyrics to the song, everyone knows the telephone successful response. And I deliberation the happening that truly hammered that location for maine was determination was a infinitesimal erstwhile Trump was speaking and idiosyncratic passed retired successful the stands, seemingly due to the fact that they were possibly dehydrated. People started passing their h2o bottles guardant to that person, and portion they were waiting for a medic everyone spontaneously started singing the nationalist anthem.

Leah Feiger: So Trump brings Musk out, helium calls him a genuinely unthinkable guy. Musk virtually jumps into the aerial connected stage, successful what was captured successful honestly 1 of the cringiest photos that I've seen online possibly this year, and past Musk talks to the assemblage for a mates of minutes. What does helium say? Talk america done that.

Vittoria Elliott: It's specified a crook from 2020 erstwhile there's each this suspicion astir mail-in ballots, astir aboriginal voting. Now abruptly we're hearing, "Make definite you're registered to vote, ballot early, bash this, bash that, get everyone you cognize to vote." There's this really, truly large get retired the ballot push, and that is what Elon was on. When the assassin's slug grazed Trump's ear, helium got up and said, "Fight, fight, fight." And Musk precise consciously said, "Vote, vote, vote." And everyone successful the assemblage instantly saw that parallel that-

Leah Feiger: I mean, helium drew it. Yeah.

Vittoria Elliott: People were precise into that, and 1 of the things that Musk said that got a batch of absorption from the radical that I was straight astir was helium said, "The Second-"

Elon Musk [Archival audio]: The Second Amendment is determination to guarantee that we person the First Amendment.

Vittoria Elliott: He was determination to whip up the troops, to truly talk to the existent believers, to push, push, propulsion for elector turnout, due to the fact that I deliberation my consciousness with the mode that the MAGA question is close present is that they recognize what the Biden squad understood successful 2020 wherever it's not astir converting caller people, it's astir getting the radical that are already connected your squad mobilized. He said, "This predetermination is the astir important predetermination of our lifetime." Quite normal. I deliberation I've heard each person accidental that for the past 20 years, but past helium says, "You person to bring everyone you cognize to vote. If they don't, this volition be-"

Elon Musk [Archival audio]: This volition beryllium the past election. That's my prediction. Nothing's much important, nothing's much important.

Vittoria Elliott: I adjacent had immoderate radical repetition that to maine connected the mode retired of the rally, and that is besides thing helium has been precise nationalist astir saying connected X, adjacent earlier coming to this rally. A batch of times erstwhile Musk is speaking publically oregon erstwhile he's interviewed, helium volition tamp backmost immoderate of the rhetoric that helium spreads online. If we deliberation backmost to the Don Lemon interview, wherever helium was confronted astir the large replacement theory, helium hedged a small spot connected that.

Elon Musk [Archival audio]: I'm not buying immoderate large replacement theory. I'm simply saying determination appears to beryllium a precise wide inducement for Democrats to person to maximize the fig of illegals, due to the fact that it helps him triumph an election.

Vittoria Elliott: But that was not what was happening successful this space. It decidedly felt similar you could person copied and pasted immoderate of his posts connected X into that speech.

David Gilbert: Tori, 1 happening I'm truly funny in, due to the fact that I've ne'er really seen Elon Musk talk successful person. Obviously I've seen him successful interviews connected TV and connected X. Trump, erstwhile he's speaking astatine rallies, has this precise circumstantial mode of speaking and mode of relating to the assemblage that's conscionable unsocial to him. Obviously everyone saw that representation that Leah talked about, but was Musk capable to link with the assemblage there? Was helium capable to pat into that immoderate it is that Trump has with his audiences?

Vittoria Elliott: I wouldn't accidental that helium could pat into that without Trump starring him in. There was a feline down maine erstwhile Musk was speaking wherever helium conscionable went, "He's truthful awkward, it's truthful funny." He's inactive himself. But I deliberation 1 of the things the Democrats were truly capable to capitalize connected successful August was Tim Walz coming retired and saying, "These guys are weird," and Musk is weird, and it didn't fuss people.

Leah Feiger: When we got connected our telephone aft this rally, 1 of the large things you said to maine was, "These supporters bash not attraction that Elon Musk utilized to not similar Trump. These supporters bash not attraction that JD Vance has tweeted immoderate unsmooth things astir Trump. This is simply a unfastened church, this is an unfastened tent, and if you present each of a abrupt are taking successful the connection of the gospel, you are invited here."

Vittoria Elliott: Yeah, totally. Put connected your reddish hat, get connected the train, let's go. And I deliberation that's thing that was besides truly evident to maine was that radical spot Musk moving to the right, supporting Donald Trump from being overmuch much supportive of Democrats adjacent a decennary agone arsenic a triumph for their team. They're like, "Wow, helium has travel to the light. He is connected our team. Isn't this great?" There isn't that suspicion of, "Why is helium here, wherefore did helium change? Why didn't helium enactment him from the beginning?" None of that.

Leah Feiger: Absolutely. This is astir apt a bully infinitesimal to get into Musk's past a small bit. Musk seems similar he's each successful connected Trump now, but conscionable 2 years agone helium posted that, "Trump should bent up his chapeau and sail into the sunset." And the Wall Street Journal reported past week that helium gave $10 cardinal to Ron DeSantis erstwhile helium was moving for president. Why this abrupt alteration of bosom for Musk?

David Gilbert: It's not truly a abrupt alteration of bosom for Musk. If you look backmost astatine however helium has gotten to this point, it started rather a agelong portion ago, and he's ever been this fig who's been contrarian, and portion helium was for a agelong clip held up arsenic this tech genius who was going to alteration the world-

Leah Feiger: Founder of Tesla and SpaceX, large dreamer implicit here.

David Gilbert: Yeah, but passim it each determination was ever these small things that happened that signaled that thing was a spot different. His willingness to travel retired and accidental things that are conscionable wholly false, and bash it boldly and not backmost down from it has been determination for a agelong time. And so, I deliberation the crushed present that helium has afloat embraced Trump is that since helium bought Twitter and became a full-time troll connected the platform, and seems to bash beauteous overmuch thing other than station tweets, he's seen that his credibility and his estimation from a immense cohort, of radical successful the U.S. especially, particularly successful Silicon Valley has waned due to the fact that radical person moved distant from him due to the fact that of what's happened connected the platform, and present helium is leaning afloat into the radical who bash enactment him. The radical who bash enactment him and backmost what he's doing determination are for a ample part, Trump supporters who are boosting his posts and telling him he's brilliant, and Trump is saying it arsenic well. So, that's wherefore he's leaning successful due to the fact that helium needs that confirmation, and helium needs that admiration from those people.

Leah Feiger: I deliberation each of that is true. I inactive person a small spot of a hard clip squaring this with the idiosyncratic who was antecedently an Obama, Clinton and Biden supporter. He told CNBC that helium thought that Trump didn't person the benignant of quality that reflects good connected the United States, helium supported Hillary Clinton's argumentation platforms. In 2017 though, helium did commencement to donate ample sums to Republicans signaling this rightward shift. In the nonfiction that I mentioned from the Wall Street Journal, they said that starting successful 2022 helium spent $50 cardinal connected Conservative issues. This is conscionable a ton of wealth to beryllium throwing around. Is it unusual that a feline who runs an electrical car institution is endorsing Donald Trump, who doesn't truly look to judge successful clime change? Does this wounded Musk's bottommost enactment successful the agelong run?

Vittoria Elliott: At the extremity of the day, the Republican Party, particularly the Republican Party nether Trump, is the enactment of nary taxes and nary work for large businesses, and adjacent if Tesla itself has benefited from the enactment of the biology question from authorities contracts and enactment meant to modulation america to cleanable energy, the world is astatine the extremity of the time Musk is simply a billionaire with a batch of antithetic businesses who doesn't privation to wage taxes and doesn't privation to beryllium regulated. And so, immoderate boost helium whitethorn person gotten from Democratic administrations seeing Tesla arsenic the standard-bearer for this 1 signifier of greenish vigor transition, I deliberation the world is helium is beauteous cognizant of the information that a Republican medication that deregulates many, galore different things is fundamentally amended for him overall. Let's not hide that Tesla has faced lawsuits against the mode it's treated its employees, they've travel nether a batch of scrutiny, and Musk wants to assistance dismantle the NLRB, the National Labor Relations Board. So, adjacent if a Republican medication mightiness much hostile to thing like-

Leah Feiger: Carbon credits et al.

Vittoria Elliott: Yeah. The world is helium volition inactive payment from each these different forms of deregulation.

David Gilbert: The biggest menace to Tesla isn't from culling c credits oregon thing similar that, it's from China, due to the fact that the Chinese electrical car manufacture is hugely fashionable successful China and they're trying to export astir the world. And who's going to beryllium the idiosyncratic who's going to halt them coming to the U.S. and putting the astir taxes connected immoderate imports from China? That's Donald Trump.

Leah Feiger: I privation to bring up the infamous X abstraction wherever Elon Musk interviewed Donald Trump backmost successful August, and Musk was precise unfastened astir this, is precise wide astir the information that him and Trump disagree connected these biology issues, but precise intelligibly besides did not truly look to care. This 1 punctuation that Musk said during that interview, close aft Trump suggested the request for further U.S. lipid drilling, helium said, "My views connected clime alteration and lipid and state astir apt disagree from what astir radical would presume due to the fact that my views are really beauteous mean successful this regard." Then helium says, "I don't deliberation we should vilify the-"

Elon Musk [Archival audio]: I don't deliberation we should vilify lipid and state manufacture and the radical that person worked precise hard successful those industries to supply the indispensable vigor to enactment the economy, and if we were to halt utilizing lipid and state close present we'd each beryllium starving and the system would collapse.

Leah Feiger: A spot of a rollover. But past helium goes connected to inquire if Trump volition commencement a authorities ratio assemblage that Musk would beryllium invited to articulation if the erstwhile president were reelected. What a speedy pivot from, "These are my beliefs. You don't hold with my beliefs. Also, tin you springiness maine a occupation successful government?"

Vittoria Elliott: Yeah. And I mean again, I deliberation going backmost to the difference, we've seen a batch of, connected the Democrat and near broadside of the governmental spectrum, there's a batch of nitpicking implicit policy. "Oh, I don't hold with Kamala's stance connected this. I don't similar her grounds arsenic a prosecutor," blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Whereas I deliberation the MAGA movement, due to the fact that they person this, "As agelong arsenic you're connected Team Trump, we tin benignant retired the different worldly later," energy, radical aren't bothered by that.

Leah Feiger: We're going to instrumentality a speedy break, but archetypal we privation to convey our friends astatine Amazon Music for naming WIRED Politics Lab 1 of the champion podcasts this week. If you're caller to the show, we're truthful excited you're here. And erstwhile we're back, we're going to speech much with David and Tori astir whether they deliberation indispensable tin truly power the election. Welcome backmost to WIRED Politics Lab. Musk showing up successful Butler, Pennsylvania wasn't coincidental. Though the assassination effort was initially what led Musk to outwardly endorsing Trump, which helium alluded to successful his speech.

Elon Musk [Archival audio]: We had 1 president who couldn't a formation of stairs, and different who was fist pumping aft getting shot. "Fight, fight, fight," humor coming down the face.

Leah Feiger: I really privation to speech astir what Musk has been doing since July that brought him truthful profoundly into Trump's circle, and of people the biggest happening is that he's spending a ton of money. Tori, David, however overmuch is helium spending? How is helium spending it? Where is it going?

David Gilbert: Well, I accidental consecutive aft the archetypal Butler rally, helium announced that helium was afloat down Trump, helium was going to commencement donating, and that triggered different radical successful Silicon Valley to determine to enactment successful down Trump and donate wealth to him arsenic well. He was ne'er arsenic beardown arsenic helium was astatine that constituent erstwhile Musk endorsed him. Since then, evidently the contention has tightened considerably, but Musk hasn't tried to equivocate, helium hasn't tried to backmost down. He's enactment wealth into it, but he's besides enactment efficaciously the value of his afloat level down Trump by promoting Trump's policies, by promoting Trump's conspiracies, and astir precocious by pushing this get retired to ballot effort wherever he's offering radical currency money, $47 for each registered elector who they notation successful a plaything authorities that signs this petition successful favour of escaped code and the close to carnivore arms, and they're hoping to get 1 cardinal voters signed up earlier the election.

Vittoria Elliott: Wow.

Leah Feiger: And I mean, done the America PAC, which helium founded, he's funneling millions of dollars to Republican candidates, right?

Vittoria Elliott: Yeah. He's sending astir 8.2 cardinal to 18 antithetic districts wherever location races for the GOP are competitory close now.

Leah Feiger: Wow. So, he's astatine the apical of the ticket, he's astatine the bottommost of the ticket. Musk is each implicit this.

Vittoria Elliott: Yeah, determination was immoderate truly absorbing reporting successful August astir however radical were getting ads connected Google and different platforms that looked similar they were encouraging them to registry to vote, and if you were successful a authorities similar California oregon Wyoming, wherever you person a coagulated dominance of 1 enactment oregon the other, it would conscionable nonstop you to an email motion up, but if you were successful a plaything authorities similar Michigan oregon Pennsylvania, you would beryllium urged to participate each of this information that the PAC has past funneled into helping Republican candidates campaigning successful those states to place imaginable apt voters with this existent precision targeting successful a mode that possibly would've not been imaginable without Musk's backing, and without the quality to cod and collate that data.

Leah Feiger: I mean, let's comparison and opposition the Trump run and the Harris run a small spot close now. Dems are moving with David Plouffe, an Obama-era advisor, their absorption is precise overmuch connected crushed game, and being physically successful idiosyncratic and getting retired the votes. They had a fewer weeks of winning the net those weeks aft that Harris was announced arsenic the Democratic nominee, but present it feels similar they mightiness beryllium a spot behind. They're up against Elon Musk.

Vittoria Elliott: Yeah. When you had idiosyncratic similar David Plouffe doing Get Out The Vote, everyone was connected Facebook. Even if Facebook was weird, it was a shared world for young people-

Leah Feiger: It was 2008, it was a antithetic world.

Vittoria Elliott: ...you cognize what I mean? But present the net is truly fractured. The radical who are connected X are not needfully the radical who are connected TikTok, and each these platforms besides person mode antithetic rules astir however you advertise, what benignant of authorities and worldly tin beryllium connected there, their algorithms are inscrutable. We're dealing with a overmuch much fractured net space, and I would ne'er accidental that getting retired the vote, being successful idiosyncratic is bad, but what I noticed with this Trump rally is that again, going backmost to the fusion of religion stone performance vibe, is that that's a happening to do. You cognize what I mean? That's assemblage successful a way, it's radical spending clip with radical who they hold with, who they stock astatine slightest this large involvement with. There was a existent excitement astir that, and I deliberation doorway knocking is evidently precise important, but I bash deliberation determination is that level of assemblage that is somewhat antithetic than what you would get from doorway knocking one-on-one.

Leah Feiger: But what I volition accidental to that is that Musk, and the GOP, and Trump are getting a batch of vigor close present for having a unspeakable crushed game, that is tons of GOP strategists person been coming retired being like, "Their campaigns close present are implicit messes. This is simply a immense issue." On the different hand, you person Musk virtually conscionable past week tweeting retired links to registry successful Arizona, registry successful Pennsylvania. These tweets are getting implicit 100 cardinal views, these links are getting clicks. There's immoderate operation present that possibly they're not doing this 2008 epoch thing, but they're doing the 2024 Get Out The Vote online thing, and possibly that's going to beryllium enough.

David Gilbert: It's not needfully astir getting caller voters to ballot for Trump, it's astir getting the radical who are sympathetic to Trump already to really vote. And erstwhile you look astatine what they're doing, we saw evidently what Musk is doing connected X and getting immense numbers of radical clicking connected those links, we're besides seeing groups similar Turning Point USA having conferences, and trainings, and-

Leah Feiger: Concerts.

David Gilbert: ...concerts, and Get Out The Vote efforts. We're seeing the Courage Tour, which is this Christian nationalist circuit going astir the state to plaything states only, it's lone going to plaything states, wherever they are talking to evangelical communities. They are reaching retired straight to pastors truthful that the pastors volition talk again to their ain congregations, and they're activating these radical who are traditionally Trump supporters but who whitethorn not really vote. And there's, successful the Turning Point USA, it's decidedly much skewed towards a younger elector who successful 2020 whitethorn not person turned retired to ballot for Trump, but they are trying to get those radical there. They're successful the communities that they cognize they tin get radical to ballot for Trump, they're not trying to person radical who person spent the past 8 years being aggravated astatine Trump and deciding that they don't privation to ballot for him. So, I deliberation that thought of assemblage that Tori spoke astir astatine the rally, is thing they're tapping into crossed the state astatine each these antithetic types of events.

Vittoria Elliott: Community successful idiosyncratic and online.

David Gilbert: Exactly.

Vittoria Elliott: And that to maine is somewhat what I'm not seeing from the Harris campaign.

David Gilbert: Because the online portion of it is that X is simply a community, but it's a assemblage of mostly-

Vittoria Elliott: Shit posters.

David Gilbert: ...shit posters and Trump supporters. And you cognize the Venn diagram of the 2 is mostly a circle-

Vittoria Elliott: I too, look to my assemblage for the precise champion conspiracies astir the latest humanitarian biology catastrophe successful the United States, talking of people astir each of the hurricane conspiracies that Musk himself is promoting close now. This is specified a trash fire.

David Gilbert: ...where does the Harris run spell for its community? Because okay, we saw, arsenic you said, the Brat summertime stuff. There was a batch of occurrence connected TikTok and Instagram, but TikTok and Instagram aren't arsenic partisan arsenic X is, truthful they person to enactment harder to find their communities connected those platforms. So, I deliberation what the Trump run is doing successful presumption of targeting precise circumstantial types of voters is precise clever, and could astatine slightest enactment to summation the fig of radical who are going to crook retired to really ballot for Trump compared to 2020.

Leah Feiger: He hasn't conscionable been spending connected the statesmanlike race, he's been pouring wealth into legislature races too, which to maine raises the question, is this astir content for him oregon much astir extending his reach?

Vittoria Elliott: Who tin cognize the wrong of Elon Musk's heart? But if you deliberation astir it, this is idiosyncratic who fundamentally believes that his ngo successful beingness is to nonstop humanity to Mars. If that doesn't archer you the benignant of scope that helium wants to have, that it's not conscionable astir the U.S., it's not conscionable astir peculiar elections, he's reasoning astir this connected a not adjacent a full satellite scale, connected an interplanetary scale. Query whether there's a country of public, oregon civic, oregon authorities oregon concern beingness that helium believes helium shouldn't beryllium touching.

David Gilbert: I conscionable fundamentally cannot instrumentality him earnestly erstwhile helium says thing astir that this is simply a combat for our democracy, this is going to beryllium the past predetermination ever. All he's doing is he's built a level wherever successful bid to win you request to beryllium incrementally much utmost successful your viewpoint than the adjacent person. And due to the fact that helium has implicit the past 2 years conscionable gone wholly down this rabbit spread wherever helium is parroting what Trump says successful presumption of immigrants coming into the state and they're going to bargain the election, and the information that this volition beryllium the past ballot ever if Kamala Harris wins, each he's trying to bash is to get it to the constituent wherever Trump wins and helium continues to person immoderate benignant of power implicit what happens astatine authorities level. Because arsenic helium said himself this week successful an interrogation with Tucker Carlson, if Trump doesn't triumph he's screwed.

Elon Musk [Archival audio]: If helium loses, I'm fucked.

Tucker Carlson [Archival audio]: It does look that way.

David Gilbert: He knows that if this happens, that he's enactment each his eggs successful 1 handbasket and helium needs it to work. For the adjacent 4 weeks until the election, that he's conscionable going to get worse, and worse, and worse successful presumption of pushing conspiracies and scaring people, due to the fact that that's what he's doing. He's trying to scare radical into voting.

Leah Feiger: And he's not doing this successful a vacuum. We've been benignant of talking astir this, but astir apt clip for america to outright accidental it. Musk is the biggest governmental influencer around. He has 200 cardinal followers connected X, and not conscionable that, helium has full power implicit the societal media platform's algorithm. People volition spot his posts nary substance what. Let's get into immoderate of the conspiracies and extremist ideas he's pushing with each of this. What's helium saying close now? What's retired there?

David Gilbert: For the past mates of weeks, he's been pushing this thought that has been seeded by Trump and others successful the GOP that floods of immigrants are going to travel into the country, brought successful by the Biden administration, who are each going to beryllium registered and allowed to vote-

Leah Feiger: Ridiculous.

David Gilbert: ...the election. Just nary ground successful fact, but it's perfectly taken hold. And past you've got Musk astatine a nationalist level pushing it to his tens of million, oregon arsenic you said, 200 cardinal followers.

Leah Feiger: Really dangerous. Really, truly dangerous.

David Gilbert: It's highly dangerous, due to the fact that determination are radical who are taking it earnestly and who are going to beryllium connected alert connected predetermination time to ticker for immoderate radical they spot arsenic not looking similar them, and therefore, "Oh, that indispensable beryllium an migrant brought successful by the Biden administration. I'm going to bash a citizen's arrest."

Leah Feiger: I mean, I'm reasoning of the simplest, truthful galore precise normal, person been done for a precise agelong time, Get Out The Vote techniques of having buses instrumentality elder citizens to spell vote. That is ace normal, incredibly legal. I deliberation we're going to spot a batch of hostility implicit this successful the coming weeks ahead.

David Gilbert: A sheriff said to maine a mates of months ago, if helium sees a autobus of radical that helium doesn't admit he's going to instrumentality enactment connected predetermination day.

Vittoria Elliott: I spoke to idiosyncratic who was a erstwhile Twitter employee, who worked connected the spot and information team, the radical who support hatred code and disinformation disconnected the platform, astir of whom Musk fired astir instantly aft taking implicit the platform. And this idiosyncratic told maine that 1 of their large concerns is not conscionable what helium is publically posting and what's connected the platform, but if you callback aft January 6th, 2021, Twitter banned Donald Trump, and specifically due to the fact that they were disquieted astir incitement of violence, further incitement to unit aft the insurrection. And what this idiosyncratic told maine was that a batch of these sticky decisions astir satellite leaders, astir convulsive hatred code from nationalist figures, that gets escalated to the apical of the company. Often VPs and CEOs are the ones making those calls. And if you person a CEO, who is truthful intelligibly aligned with 1 party, 1 radical of people, that's the idiosyncratic who's going to beryllium making the call. And if you're a rank-and-file idiosyncratic astatine the company, you mightiness beryllium disquieted astir adjacent escalating that. You mightiness beryllium disquieted astir voicing concerns astir however contented connected this level could materialize into real-world unit due to the fact that you cognize what the governmental leanings of enactment are going to be.

Leah Feiger: In summation to these anti-immigrant conspiracies, helium has, God, he's tally the gambit the past mates of months, hasn't he? I mean, promoting that the Secret Service was specifically making it truthful that Trump could get assassinated backmost successful Butler, helium said unspeakable worldly astir trans people, trans rights, which evidently gets backmost to his girl and conscionable a batch of truly sad, messy worldly there. He dispersed Springfield, it's ne'er ending. Which brings america to this week wherever Musk has gone retired saying that FEMA has been defunded and is not capable to get assistance to radical successful request aft Hurricane Helene, due to the fact that each of the backing has gone to undocumented immigrants. It's wild.

David Gilbert: There is nary conspiracy that is trending connected X that Musk volition not entertain, it seems. The much radical respond to it, the much helium enjoys it. I deliberation determination was a Guardian investigation of 1 time of Musk tweets a mates of months ago, and helium tweeted 145 times-

Leah Feiger: Oh my God.

David Gilbert: ...in the abstraction of 24 hours. And that's including, I think-

Leah Feiger: Sign off, my guy. This is just-

David Gilbert: He did motion disconnected for 7 hours portion helium slept, maybe, I don't know. He indispensable not bash immoderate different work, due to the fact that however could you person the encephalon abstraction to bash thing other too what he's doing? And it's lone going to get worse from present connected successful I think, due to the fact that he's-

Vittoria Elliott: Because he's present a run surrogate.

Leah Feiger: He's a run surrogate. Which brings maine to, is helium influencing Trump oregon is Trump influencing him?

David Gilbert: I deliberation Trump is decidedly influencing him obviously, due to the fact that Trump is the 1 who has the powerfulness and tin determine with the changeable of his pen what happens to his businesses effectively, due to the fact that the task 2025 worldly shows he's consenting to bash beauteous overmuch thing if helium gets backmost into power. But I deliberation that it should not beryllium underestimated that this thought that Musk would go the caput of Department of Government Efficiency, if that does transpire. And Trump whitethorn beryllium conscionable playing with, and possibly this volition ne'er happen, but if it does, the information that Musk is wrong the gathering alternatively than extracurricular the gathering should beryllium truly worrying fixed the extremist tendencies we've seen him propulsion implicit the past 2 years.

Leah Feiger: So backmost to the large question, and I privation immoderate real, quick, off-the-cuff answers from you both. Is Musk going to triumph Trump the White House?

Vittoria Elliott: I deliberation that his Get Out The Vote efforts could decidedly beryllium a existent crippled changer astatine the rally. Laura Trump really came retired earlier Trump and Musk got connected the stage, and truly emphasized the Get Out The Vote thing, and I watched the antheral successful beforehand of maine beryllium down, propulsion up his phone, propulsion retired his elector registration to corroborate that helium was registered. That is the crippled and Musk knows it, adjacent if his tweets oregon his ain illustration does not elevate Trump, I tin spot the mode that his wealth and his microtargeting could beryllium really, truly impactful.

Leah Feiger: David, however astir you?

David Gilbert: I hold with Tori. What astir you? What bash you deliberation is going to happen?

Leah Feiger: There are a batch of billionaires retired determination close present that are lending enactment to some parties. You person Reid Hoffman of LinkedIn each successful connected Kamala Harris. You person Peter Thiel, these are folks that person a batch of wealth to propulsion around, and a batch of vigor to dedicate to these causes and politicians. Musk is different. Musk is that billionaire, but helium is different. He is singularly focused connected Trump close now, helium is singularly focused connected getting Republicans into office. I don't cognize if we've ever seen that benignant of singular absorption from idiosyncratic earlier that is truthful rich, truthful powerful, and has truthful overmuch influence. He's positioned himself arsenic a god, and considering that that's precisely what Trump has done arsenic well, it's not a immense astonishment to maine that they person recovered specified fantabulous partners successful each different for this quest. But the committedness to the Get Out The Vote efforts, some online and off, is conscionable going to beryllium a unit to beryllium reckoned with and I'm not definite the Democrats are ready.

Vittoria Elliott: And not needfully adjacent a god, he's Tony Stark. He's a Marvel hero.

Leah Feiger: He's a Marvel hero.

Vittoria Elliott: And that is, I deliberation he's benefiting from 10 to 15 years of large property coverage, and this is what he's doing with it.

Leah Feiger: We're going to spot what happens. But for now, going to instrumentality a break, and erstwhile we're backmost it's clip for Conspiracy of the Week. Welcome backmost to WIRED Politics Lab. I'm excited to get backmost to my favourite portion of the show, Conspiracy of the Week, wherever our beauteous guests bring their favourite conspiracies they've travel crossed recently, and I prime my favorite. Tori, David, I got to archer you, due to the fact that we didn't bash Conspiracy of the Week past week owed to the vice statesmanlike debate, I had a fig of radical astatine my Air of Rosh Hashanah meal precise upset that we had missed it. Do we person immoderate bully conspiracies for them to marque up for our failings?

David Gilbert: Oh, we definite do.

Vittoria Elliott: I person a non authorities conspiracy, truthful everyone tin person a small palate cleanser.

Leah Feiger: Excellent. Tori, instrumentality it away.

Vittoria Elliott: Yeah, truthful this is an aged one, but it's 1 that I conscionable discovered which means it is news. I, similar the New York Times, tin beryllium the lone breaker of news, and this conspiracy is that Beyonce and Solange Knowles are not really sisters. That Beyonce is really secretly Solange's mother, and that she had Solange erstwhile she was a teen but past determination was a scramble to screen it up. And this has been a happening seemingly successful the R&B euphony conspiracy satellite for a agelong time, and it was kicked disconnected by a mates of antithetic things. But 1 was that the histrion Gabrielle Union, who was successful a clump of movies, but successful my favourite movie 10 Things I Hate About You-

Leah Feiger: Oh, I was going to say, I deliberation her champion relation was really Bring It On.

Vittoria Elliott: Oh, agree. I besides emotion Bring It On, but I emotion 10 Things I Hate About You better. But she has said successful 2008 that she and Beyonce were teenagers together, and Gabrielle Union was calved successful 1972 and Beyonce was calved successful 1981. So, that kicked disconnected this firestorm of like-

Leah Feiger: Oh my goodness.

Vittoria Elliott: ..."What bash you mean? You're 10 years older than her, however are you the aforesaid age?" And obviously-

Leah Feiger: Figure of speech. They were coming up successful the manufacture astatine the aforesaid time.

Vittoria Elliott: Right, but that has not stopped the net for virtually implicit a decennary perpetuating this conspiracy that Beyonce is really secretly overmuch older than she says, and that Solange is her girl from erstwhile she was a teenager.

Leah Feiger: That is truthful ridiculous, but I volition perfectly Google this aft we decorativeness recording.

Vittoria Elliott: You are welcome.

Leah Feiger: Thanks, Tor. David, however astir you?

David Gilbert: I conscionable consciousness I person to bash a hurricane conspiracy.

Leah Feiger: You person to.

David Gilbert: Because it's conscionable been dominating my feeds for the past mates of weeks now, but particularly successful the past mates of days. I suppose, conscionable successful lawsuit you haven't seen anything, the thought being pushed astatine the infinitesimal by congresspeople and far-right influencers and everything is that the Hurricane Milton has been orchestrated by the government, and is being controlled by them and to people radical successful Florida. So, that's the idea. It stems from the thought that chemtrails person been utilized to make upwind backmost successful the day. This has a long, agelong history, this conspiracy.

Leah Feiger: It's truthful wild. It's not conscionable astir targeting radical successful Florida, right? It's astir specifically targeting Republicans.

David Gilbert: Well, it depends connected which conspiracy way you've gone down.

Leah Feiger: Which pill did we instrumentality today, Neo?

David Gilbert: Exactly. So, immoderate radical judge that it's targeting Republicans, immoderate radical judge it's linked to the thought that it'll impact the predetermination outcome, immoderate radical judge that it's a screen for bringing successful the immigrants that volition really impact the predetermination portion the hurricane is happening.

Leah Feiger: Unreal.

David Gilbert: But my favourite 1 I deliberation is the information that this is conscionable portion of the New World's Order depopulation efforts. So, radical are conscionable perfectly losing their minds connected this, and it's perfectly everywhere. It's not confined to U.S. conspiracy groups, it's everywhere. And my Irish conspiracy groups that I'm in, everyone is talking astir it. So, it's a conspiracy that's gone everyplace truly quickly-

Leah Feiger: Life of its own.

David Gilbert: ...and it's truly disturbing. Yeah.

Leah Feiger: For each of our beauteous listeners, we really person an nonfiction astir this connected WIRED.com close now. We're going to database it successful the amusement notes for you, but these hurricane conspiracies person truly taken connected a beingness of their own, and our thoughts are with everyone that's going to beryllium affected this week and person been affected already. David, conscionable connected relationship of the information that it made maine truthful sad, I deliberation that I'm going to person to prime Tori's conspiracy this week.

David Gilbert: That's fair.

Vittoria Elliott: Wow. We've truly turned a country here.

Leah Feiger: Tori, congratulations. This is simply a bully one, I cognize you've been looking for a triumph for a portion now.

Vittoria Elliott: Thank you, yeah.

Leah Feiger: Anyone you'd similar to convey connected this journey?

Vittoria Elliott: No, conscionable me.

Leah Feiger: Just me. Thank you some truthful overmuch for joining america this week.

David Gilbert: Yeah, it's been great.

Vittoria Elliott: Thanks for having us, Leah.

Leah Feiger: Thanks for listening to WIRED Politics Lab. If you similar what you heard today, marque definite to travel the amusement and springiness america 5 stars. We besides person a newsletter, which MaKena Kelly writes each week. The nexus to the newsletter and the WIRED reporting we notation contiguous are successful the amusement notes. If you'd similar to get successful interaction with america with immoderate questions, comments, oregon amusement suggestions, please, delight constitute to PoliticsLab@WIRED.com. That's PoliticsLab@WIRED.com. We're truthful excited to perceive from you. WIRED Politics Lab is produced by Jake Harper, Pran Bandi is our workplace engineer, Amar Lal mixed this episode, Steven Valentino is our enforcement producer, Chris Bannon is planetary caput of audio astatine Conde Nast, and I'm your host, Leah Feiger. We'll beryllium backmost successful your feeds with a caller occurrence adjacent week.