Musk’s weirdest Twitter/X moment yet, a recap

In September, there have been indicators that Elon Musk’s makes an attempt to elect Donald Trump — on and off the community previously often called Twitter — have been faltering.

Now, after a weekend wherein Musk immortalized the hashtag #DorkMAGA at a Trump rally, appropriated the @America account from its proprietor, and used it to actually supply cash to swing state voters, these makes an attempt have entered uncharted territory.

How did we get right here? Let’s recap.

On September 23, Musk was efficiently fact-checked, a.okay.a. Group Famous, on an X publish referring to U.S. politics, for the primary time in 2024. Musk spread a false rumor that a bomb had been discovered at a Trump rally. A New York Times examination of Musk’s 171 posts that week discovered that just about a third of them have been “false, deceptive or lacked very important context.” The truth that solely one in all them was marked as such provides you a sense of simply how a lot Musk’s supporters on the service are downvoting Group Notes on his posts.

Even for the stans, it appears, a pretend bomb menace was past the pale.

In the meantime IRL, Musk’s pro-Trump America PAC was stumbling. In two swing states that may resolve the 2024 election, Arizona and Nevada, the place voter turnout is essential, Musk fired its entire turnout operation. On condition that America PAC is just about the only ground game the Trump campaign has, this was unhealthy information for the GOP candidate that Musk formally endorsed again in July. As of final week, with early voting already underway in some states, America PAC was still hiring.

Then on Friday, Musk received one other very public on-line fact-check. Not a Group Word this time, however a response from Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg to Musk sharing a screenshot of an nameless textual content making wild claims concerning the Federal Emergency Administration Company.

Tweet may have been deleted

“Help flights are underway, a lot appreciated,” Musk replied after speaking to Buttigieg — sort of claiming credit score for fixing a nonexistent drawback, but additionally basically strolling again his fake claim about FEMA blocking Musk’s satellite tv for pc web firm from aiding in hurricane reduction.

Might the weekend get any extra embarrassing for him?

Musk: maintain my beer

Tweet may have been deleted

At a weekend rally for Trump in Pennsylvania, Musk appeared in a black “Make America Nice Once more” cap and declared himself “darkish MAGA.”

According to the Global Network for Extremism and Technology, the #DarkMAGA hashtag goes again to 2022, and represents a want to go down a harsh path of retribution towards MAGA critics. Darkish MAGA posts often embrace Nazi and QAnon imagery.

If Musk’s intent was to evoke a extra terrifying picture, he succeeded partly — although not in the way in which he might need hoped. When Musk shook Trump’s hand, a unusual look crossed his face — and one {photograph} launched a thousand memes.

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

However even that meme couldn’t stand up to the firepower of Musk’s midriff-baring … effectively, let’s simply name it a rocket launch.

Tweet may have been deleted

Put the 2 collectively, and it is no shock that a new hashtag blossomed: #DorkMAGA.

New profile, who dis

These pictures contrasted with Musk’s new Twitter/X profile photograph. His red-armored Halloween costume, used on and off since October 2022, was changed after the Trump rally Saturday by a extra flattering (and extra edited) picture of Musk in the Dark MAGA cap against an American flag. (Even a few of Musk’s blue-check shopping for supporters have been fast to notice they’d lose their verification badge in the event that they have been to alter their profile photograph.)

Clearly, this was a great distance from the declare Musk made again in April 2022, when he was getting ready to purchase Twitter, that the service must be “politically impartial” and upset “the far left and the far proper equally.”

And in case anybody was confused by the subtlety of the black-on-black MAGA cap, Musk additionally made his political message clear in his new bio: “Learn @America to know why I am supporting Trump for president.”

This was the primary indication that Musk had seized the @America account from its unique proprietor, and handed it over to his America PAC. As my Mashable colleague Matt Binder revealed, the unique account proprietor — somebody who occurred to name Musk “anti-American” in 2020 — was given the reasonably much less memorable deal with of @America123_12.

Musk is inside his rights to grab any account, after all — it is his service, he overpaid for it. He has carried out so as soon as earlier than, appropriating the “X” deal with from a photographer. However at the least that was the brand new identify of his firm. Seizing the identify of a nation, for solely political functions … effectively, as an example it might not absolutely convey the “free speech” idea Musk believes himself to be defending.

Tweet may have been deleted

However hey, what’s extra American than promising free cash for election-related functions? That is what Musk proceeded to do with the America account, posting a bounty of $47 for any person who received a person in a swing state to signal the PAC’s petition (and naturally, harvesting their contact information within the course of).

On condition that America PAC is having hassle hiring, posting the bounty is sensible. Whether or not it counts as a violation of federal election legislation, specifically 18 U.S. Code § 597, is as much as the Federal Election Fee, which has not but weighed in. Some seasoned political observers have been in little question, nonetheless.

Tweet may have been deleted

Not serving to, mother

Tweet may have been deleted

And as if that weren’t sufficient, Musk’s mom, Maye, weighed in on one other one of many X proprietor’s posts — jokingly suggesting election fraud.

“It is not unlawful,” Mom Musk claimed of the suggestion that her son’s supporters register 10 instances and vote 10 instances at completely different polling stations.

“That is, actually, unlawful,” learn a Group Word that was appended on Maye Musk’s Saturday tweet. The observe appeared to have been eliminated on Sunday, however was restored on Monday.

For Musk followers, evidently, supporting mother’s proper to counsel this sort of electoral fraud — one thing that Republican officers have already been prosecuted for doing — was a step too far.