Musk promotes the debunked Dominion election conspiracy theory during his campaign appearance

FOLSOM, Pa. (AP) — Billionaire Elon Musk spread debunked conspiracy theories about voter fraud Thursday in the first of a series of planned campaign events across Pennsylvania to drum up support for former President Donald Trump's campaign.

At a town hall at a high school outside Philadelphia, Musk referred to the false conspiracy theory that Dominion Voting Systems was part of a plot to rig U.S. elections in recent years.

“If you have mail-in ballots and no proof of citizenship, it's almost impossible to prove fraud,” he said in response to a viewer's question about voter fraud. “Statistically speaking, some very strange things happen that are statistically incredibly unlikely. There's always this question of, let's say, the Dominion voting machines. It's strange, in my opinion, that they were used in Philadelphia and Maricopa County (in Arizona), but not many other places. Doesn’t that seem like a fucking coincidence?”

“The last thing I would do is trust a computer program,” he said, promoting the idea that only paper ballots should be used in U.S. elections. The Brennan Center for Justice, a progressive nonprofit law and public policy institute, has found that 98% of votes in the general election are expected to be cast on paper ballots.

In a statement, a Dominion spokesperson disputed numerous aspects of Musk's comments.

“Fact: Dominion does not serve Philadelphia County. Fact: Dominion's voting systems already rely on voter-verified paper ballots. Fact: Hand counts and audits of such paper ballots have repeatedly proven that Dominion machines produce accurate results. This is not a matter of opinion. “It is a matter of verifiable facts,” the spokesman wrote in an email.

The company has largely denied allegations that it participated in election-rigging efforts. Last year, the company reached a $787.5 million settlement with Fox News in its defamation lawsuit against the media company over such claims.

Contrary to Musk's claim that Dominion's software was used in only a small number of counties, a Reuters fact check found that Dominion systems were used in at least 24 states during the 2020 election.

Musk's appearance, broadcast live on Philadelphia Fox and X, comes as Musk has increased his support for Trump. Musk has donated nearly $75 million to his pro-Trump America PAC, which he founded this year. Two weeks ago, he accompanied Trump on stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Musk has also turned his own

Studies and research have found that there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the United States. When voter fraud has occurred, prosecutors have successfully brought cases against the perpetrators, including as part of a highly publicized fraud scheme in North Carolina.

Musk spoke for about 10 minutes in seemingly off-the-cuff remarks that ranged from concerns about censorship and government spending to the Second Amendment and city safety, claiming that cities have become less safe for their residents. Recent data released by the FBI suggests that crime has generally declined across the U.S., including in major cities.

When Musk talked about the US-Mexico border, he compared it to the zombie movie “World War Z.”

Musk then answered questions for about 40 minutes, intervening at one point with an audience member who was shouting about Democratic megadonor George Soros, who has long been the subject of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. In response, Musk called Soros “evil” and said he was “tearing down the fabric of society.”

In response to another question, Musk pushed a baseless conspiracy theory that Vice President Kamala Harris was controlled by an unknown group of people.

Musk repeatedly encouraged viewers to get their friends and family involved and register them to vote in the state – the registration deadline is Monday.

“Pennsylvania is the linchpin of this election, and this election will decide the fate of America and, along with America, the fate of Western civilization,” Musk told the crowd as he stood in front of an American flag.

Emma Barnett reported from Folsom and Ben Goggin and Kat Tenbarge reported from New York City.