How Elon Musk Scammed People Into Campaigning for Trump

Elon Musk’s canvassing operation for Donald Trump is going even worse than expected. 

Musk’s America PAC already made headlines this month for its failure of a door-knocking campaign. But new reporting by Wired shows the reality for workers on the ground is even darker than previously thought. 

In Michigan, paid canvassers hired by America PAC were mistreated and deceived as part of the Republicans’ get out the vote efforts. The workers were given unrealistically high expectations under poor working conditions, and when they didn’t meet goals, they were threatened financially.  

Musk’s PAC contracted with Blitz Canvassing to knock doors in swing states such as Michigan, and it has been a total disaster. Mostly Black employees were shuttled around in a U-Haul van with no seating or seatbelts. “We were all told our transportation would be handled and we’d be in rental cars. It turned out to be U-Haul vans, and I felt embarrassed and played,” said one worker, speaking anonymously. 

One paid canvasser even alleges that they had no idea they would be canvassing to elect Trump or for Musk’s campaign apparatus. “After I signed over an NDA, is when I found out we are for Republicans and with Trump,” said the anonymous employee, who said they only heard Musk’s name later in passing. 

On the doors, workers were “expected to maintain a 17-22% engagement rate during the campaign.” For anyone who has canvassed before, this rate is ridiculous and also not in the door knocker’s control—it’s dependent on how many people are home and choose to open their front door. Workers were told if they didn’t meet this standard and knock on more than 1,000 doors in a week, they’d be on the hook for paying for their motel rooms. 

“What’s gonna happen is, they’re gonna stop paying for these rooms,” a manager threatened, according to a recording obtained by Wired. “And then you’re gonna end up having to pay for it yourself. You can’t do that with no money.” 

Musk’s mistreatment of workers is not a bug, it’s a feature. One can see it play out in his threats against organizing workers and his companies’ violations of labor laws. But in case this terrifying report doesn’t dissuade you, America PAC is still hiring canvassers.