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Musk awards first $1 million to event attendee

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Has given $75 million to America PAC to support Trump

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America PAC helping to mobilize, register voters

By Jarrett Renshaw

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Billionaire

Elon Musk promised on Saturday to give away $1 million each day

until November's election to someone who signs his online

petition supporting the U.S. Constitution.

And he wasted no time, awarding a $1 million check to an

attendee of his event in Pennsylvania aimed at rallying

supporters behind Republican Donald Trump. The winner was a man

named John Dreher, according to event staff.

"By the way, John had no idea. So anyway, you're welcome,"

the Tesla founder said as he handed Dreher the check.

The money is the latest example of Musk using his

extraordinary wealth to influence the tightly-contested

presidential race between Trump and his Democratic rival Kamala

Harris.

Musk started America PAC, a political action organization he

founded in support of Trump's presidential campaign. The group

is helping mobilize and register voters in battleground states,

but there are signs it is having trouble meeting its goals.

The Harrisburg event is the third in as many days in

Pennsylvania, where Musk is painting November's election in

stark terms and encouraging supporters to vote early and get

others to do the same.

He said on Saturday that if Harris wins, it will be "the

last election," suggesting the U.S. will no longer exist.

He also said the two assassination attempts against Trump

prove he is ruffling feathers and upending the status quo in

ways Harris won't. He said that's why no one is trying to kill

Harris.

"Assassinating a puppet is worthless," Musk said,

reiterating an argument he has made in a social media post.

The petition Musk is asking people to sign reads: "The First

and Second Amendments guarantee freedom of speech and the right

to bear arms. By signing below, I am pledging my support for the

First and Second Amendments."

Attendees of Saturday's event had to sign the petition.

Musk, ranked by Forbes as the world's richest person, so far

has supplied at least $75 million to America PAC, according to

federal disclosures, making the group a crucial part of Trump's

bid to regain the White House.

The entrepreneur behind carmaker Tesla and rocket

and satellite venture SpaceX has increasingly supported

Republican causes and this year became an outspoken Trump

supporter.

Trump in turn has said if elected he would appoint Musk to

head a government efficiency commission.