Did Elon Musk rig Pennsylvania election results? Trump’s rally comments spark conspiracy theories

Donald Trump's comments at victory rally praising Elon Musk spark conspiracy theories about election rigging.

A comment made by former President Donald Trump at his victory rally has sparked wild conspiracy theories suggesting that Elon Musk played a role in rigging the 2024 election results in Pennsylvania. Speaking to an enthusiastic crowd on Sunday, Trump praised Musk for his expertise with computers, particularly in relation to vote-counting systems.

"He knows those computers better than anybody. All those computers. Those vote-counting computers. And we ended up winning Pennsylvania like in a landslide," Trump said, referring to Musk’s support during the campaign. Trump also thanked the billionaire for spending time in Pennsylvania, where he reportedly campaigned on his behalf.

Photo: AP

Although polling had suggested that the state could lean toward Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump won Pennsylvania by a large margin, along with other key swing states. This victory has led some individuals to speculate that Musk used his technical knowledge to influence the outcome of the election.

One commenter said, "Sounds like a confession that Elon Musk changed vote totals to hand him the election," while another claimed, "Sounds like Musk rigged the voting!" Despite these claims, many of Trump’s supporters dismissed the theories, mocking critics for adopting the same conspiracy mindset that they had previously accused Democrats of using after the 2020 election.

The conspiracy theories come after Trump’s repeated claims of voter fraud in 2020, which were widely debunked. Meanwhile, Musk and Trump shared an embrace at the rally, with Musk discussing his plans for changes to the federal government in his new role as co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency, accompanied by his child X Æ A-12.

Despite the controversy, Trump’s supporters largely defended him, using the incident to criticize Democrats for echoing the election-denial rhetoric they once opposed.