Canvassers Connected to Elon Musk Group Say They Were Tricked to Campaign for Trump, Threatened over Quotas: Report

Canvassers working for a company hired by Elon Musk's pro-Donald Trump super PAC claim they were duped and subjected to poor working conditions as they knocked on doors in Michigan, according to a new report.

“I knew nothing of the job, or much of the job description, other than going door to door and asking the voters who are they voting for,” one door knocker told Wired. "After I signed over an NDA, is when I found out we are for Republicans and with Trump.”

Video obtained by the outlet reportedly showed that a number of the contracted workers were driven around in the back of a seatless U-Haul van after they were flown to Michigan, and their manager allegedly threatened that their accommodations would not be paid for if they didn't meet steep quotas.

In an effort to match Kamala Harris' strong ground game in the final stages of the 2024 election, the Trump campaign has relied on paid canvassers and door knockers who've been contracted by the firm Blitz Canvassing, which was reportedly hired by Musk's America PAC.

PEOPLE reached out to Blitz Canvassing and Musk's attorney for comment on the Wired report.

Wired reviewed audio allegedly from a manager of the canvassers, who laid out the stakes of why they needed to meet their canvassing quotas.

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

One canvasser alleged that they were told they would have to pay for their own flight home.

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The outlet reports that workers didn't even have transportation to get around Michigan upon arrival. On Saturday, Oct. 19, supervisors allegedly arranged for Ubers to help them reach their address list, but by the next day, the workers were put in the U-Haul that one door knocker said left them feeling "embarrassed and played."

The workers were also given "performance guidelines” and were instructed to “keep the GPS function of their personal device turned on during all working hours,” according to the contact agreement reviewed by the outlet. The door-knocks, they were reportedly told, needed to be done in 15 seconds or less, and the contractors “must remain on a property for at least 30 seconds.”

The new report from Wired is one of many troublesome headlines plaguing Musk as he seeks to bolster Trump's campaign.

Musk crossed into tricky legal territory when he offered to randomly give $1 million a day to someone who signs a petition pledging support for gun rights and free speech.

The billionaire was offered a warning from the Justice Department that the giveaway may violate federal election law, according to ABC News, but as of Thursday, Oct. 31, a lawsuit seeking to block the handouts was put on hold while a federal court considers whether to take the case, Reuters reported.