The same man who said former President Donald Trump should “hang up his hat & sail into the sunset” is now one of his biggest champions. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has had quite the change of heart about the former president in the past couple of years since that July 2022 post on X. Indeed, the SpaceX founder had donated at least $132 million to the Trump campaign as of Oct. 26, making him one of Trump’s biggest financial supporters. Musk has also become increasingly outspoken about Trump over the past month or so, even appearing at Trump campaign rallies. He also infamously began a $1-million-a-day giveaway, in which voters in swing states could be eligible to win the cash prize up until Election Day if they signed a petition in support of the Constitution’s First and Second Amendments. The Philadelphia district attorney’s office tried to shut that scheme down by suing Musk, alleging the sweepstakes violated consumer protection laws and was designed to interfere with the election, but a Philadelphia judge on Monday allowed the giveaway to proceed.Not much has seemed to slow Musk down. He’s continued to campaign for Trump and posted on X about the election innumerous times. On Tuesday, he even insinuated he had a massive crowd backing him and Trump.“The cavalry has arrived,” Musk posted on X Tuesday afternoon. “Men are voting in record numbers. They now realize everything is at stake.” Trump’s appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast likely appealed to young male voters, a popular demographic of the podcast. “I think Trump is trying to drive up his vote among men,” Whit Ayres, a veteran Republican pollster, told ABC News. “I haven’t seen a whole lot of outreach to women.” However, women outpaced men in early voting this year, according to national polling firm TargetSmart. Plus, its data shows early voting among males has only slightly increased since the 2020 election. In 2020, 43.8% of males voted early, with 44.2% casting their ballot early this year. By comparison, 53.3% of women voted early this year.Upcoming event: Join business's brightest minds and boldest leaders at the Fortune Global Forum, convening November 11 and 12 in New York City. Thought-provoking sessions and off-the-record discussions feature Fortune 500 CEOs, former Cabinet members and global Ambassadors, and 7x world champion Tom Brady–among many others.
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