Inside Elon Musk’s plan to trigger a ‘red wave’ for Trump

The billionaire’s super PAC is using an old-school strategy heavy on door-knocking and mail shots — but Musk’s erratic management style has caused problems.


Alysia McMillan speaks with a potential voter while canvassing on behalf of Elon Musk’s America PAC on Sunday in Dalton, Ga. The PAC is working to turn out voters in battleground states. (Elijah Nouvelage for The Washington Post)

By Trisha Thadani and Elizabeth Dwoskin
October 15, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. EDT

NEW BERLIN, Wis. — As she prepared to knock on her first door of the day, Alysia McMillan switched her red MAGA hat for a white one that read simply: AMERICA. It was part of the uniform issued by the America PAC, a political action committee formed by billionaire Elon Musk to campaign for former president Donald Trump.

McMillan, one of hundreds of canvassers working on behalf of the America PAC to turn out Trump voters in battleground states, was setting out for a full day’s work in this Wisconsin suburb. But three hours and about 30 doors later on a warm October afternoon, the 31-year-old was getting discouraged.

The mobile app she used to map her route and know which homes she should visit kept glitching. Several times it directed her to knock on the door of a house with blue lawn signs endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris. Most of her knocks so far that day had received no response, and the few voters who answered were either undecided, or uninterested in talking.

“That’s none of your business,” one woman said after McMillan asked if she was planning to vote for Trump. “I’m on the fence,” said another, who refused to elaborate when McMillan gently asked why. “I’m not voting for Trump!” exclaimed a third as she slammed the door.

{snip}


McMillan had a pay dispute with an America PAC contractor she worked for in North Carolina. (Elijah Nouvelage for The Washington Post)

{snip}

Michael Scherer and Clara Ence Morse contributed to this report.

By Trisha Thadani
Trisha Thadani joined The Washington Post in 2023 from the San Francisco Chronicle. She covers the technology industry.follow on X @TrishaThadani

By Elizabeth Dwoskin
Lizza joined The Washington Post as Silicon Valley correspondent in 2016, becoming the paper's eyes and ears in the region. She focuses on social media and the power of the tech industry in a democratic society. Before that, she was the Wall Street Journal's first full-time beat reporter covering AI and the impact of algorithms on people's lives. follow on X @lizzadwoskin