Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Read more
Elon Musk handed out $1 million to a voter in a desperate bid to flip Wisconsin’s Supreme Court in favor of the GOP.
“Exciting to announce our first million-dollar award for supporting our petition against activist judges in Wisconsin! Next million dollar award will be announced in 2 days”, the world’s richest man posted on X late Wednesday.
The donation is Musk’s latest gesture as he seeks to garner signatures for an America PAC petition opposing “activist judges” ahead of the Wisconsin Supreme Court election on April 1.
The open seat race will decide which party controls the Supreme Court in the Badger state, a major battleground. More broadly, it could be viewed as a referendum on President Donald Trump’s first two months in office.
A statement on the petition site read: “Judges should interpret laws as written, not rewrite them to fit their personal or political agendas.”
It also comes as Tesla is battling the state of Wisconsin in court over laws prohibiting vehicle manufacturers from selling cars to consumers directly.
The New York Times reports that the lawsuit was filed in January, just days before Musk splurged cash into the race.
open image in gallery
As it stands, the Supreme Court is ruled by Democratic Party justices.
Both Musk and Trump are standing firmly behind Republican Judge Brad Schimel in the race as he goes head-to-head against Democrat Susan Crawford.
Schimel, a Republican, is a circuit court judge and previously served as the state’s former attorney general.
Musk is intensifying his efforts to swing the race red by piling over $20 million into Schimel’s campaign.
Schimel even appeared alongside the DOGE lead in a social media livestream on Saturday and was endorsed by Trump last week.
“All Voters who believe in Common Sense should GET OUT TO VOTE EARLY for Brad Schimel,” Trump posted on his social media site Truth Social.
The $1 million payment represents a sizable increase on Musk’s other offer of an instant $100 for every petition signee, with a further $100 if they persuade another person to sign.
open image in gallery
America PAC, Musk’s political action committee, announced the lucky receiver as Scott A, from Green Bay, Wisconsin, writing that he was “the first $1 Million spokesperson for signing our petition.”
The post then teased the idea that there would be “more surprise announcements” in the upcoming five days.
Flamboyant donations are becoming an archetypal trait of the Tesla billionaire as he continues to ramp up his political engagement. He is also trusted with significant responsibilities and works alongside Trump as a key White House adviser.
On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared that Musk’s “tech team” was being deployed to investigate Signalgate alongside the National Security Council and the White House Counsel’s Office.
