NEW YORK TIMES
Elon Musk plans to spend election night with former President Donald J. Trump, giving Mr. Trump direct access to the person controlling one of key information platforms on what could be a chaotic evening.
Mr. Musk, according to three people with knowledge of his schedule, plans to be at Mar-a-Lago for some of the evening festivities in Palm Beach, Fla. He will be among a small group watching the returns with Mr. Trump as they come in, according to two people with knowledge of the plan.
Mr. Trump is hosting several parties with varying levels of exclusivity, including a dinner for a small number of donors at Mar-a-Lago and an even smaller gathering for those who will hang out with him during the evening. Mr. Trump will then address a larger group, including other donors, at the Palm Beach Convention Center later in the evening.
Mr. Trump’s team and Mr. Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Mr. Musk is joining the evening as a Trump superfan. He has spent at least $119 million on a super PAC supporting Mr. Trump and has held events on his behalf in Pennsylvania. He and Mr. Trump talk several times a week.
But one of the biggest benefits that Mr. Musk has brought to the Trump team is his ownership of X, the website formerly known as Twitter.
Democrats fear that Mr. Musk may use his personal feed on X to promote election misinformation. In the weeks leading up to Tuesday, Mr. Musk has posted raw data on early votes to falsely suggest that Mr. Trump has an insurmountable lead in places like Pennsylvania, and he has shared his concerns about the reliability of voting machines.
Mr. Musk was scheduled to host a pro-Trump town-hall-style event for his super PAC on Tuesday at noon, but it did not start at the appointed time. He has repeatedly warned that the 2024 election is an existential moment for America, warning in apocalyptic terms that democracy could falter if Mr. Trump lost.
