5 epic things that happened on 2024 US Presidential Election night that preceded Trump's victory

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Things to know from 2024 US Election night apart from Trump’s victory

While Trump’s likely victory will undoubtedly be the biggest headline from the night of the 2024 US Presidential Election, it is not the only crazy thing to happen on the day.

Here are some stories that could’ve been the biggest story of the day had it happened on any other night.

1. Elon Musk sued over US$1 million election giveaway

In October, Elon Musk announced that he’d give away a cheque for US$1 million (S$1.3 million) daily to registered voters in swing states. The move drew scrutiny from authorities, including Philadelphia’s district attorney who sued the billionaire.

Source: LA Times

Fortunately for Mr Musk, he survived the lawsuit when the defence admitted the sweepstakes winners weren’t randomly chosen at all.

“The US$1 million recipients are not chosen by chance,” said Mr Musk’s lawyer. Instead, the winners are paid spokespersons for America PAC, according to the Associated Press.

According to Mr Musk’s America PAC, the recipients of the million dollars are vetted ahead of time to ensure that they align with the political action committee’s (PAC) values.

Following that bombshell, reports emerged on election day that voters are suing Mr Musk for misleading them into signing up for a contest they were never going to win.

2. Bomb threats linked to Russia in key battleground states

Several bomb threats were made on election night targeting the major swing states. According to Reuters, these bomb threats were deemed hoaxes by the FBI.

“None of the threats have been determined to be credible thus far,” the FBI said.

Source: The Guardian

Although the threats weren’t deemed credible, they resulted in the brief evacuation of two polling sites in the state of Georgia.

In response to the news, the Russian embassy in Washington rejected these links, calling them “malicious slander”.

Earlier this week, US intelligence agencies also blamed Russia for videos that falsely show Haitians voting in the US election.

3. Man punches election judge after cutting voting line

A 24-year-old man was arrested on the morning of 4 Nov after he allegedly punched an election judge in the face.

According to ABC News, the man from Illinois entered the township office and walked past multiple people waiting in line to enter the voting area.

An election judge told the man to queue up, but the man refused. He tried to force his way past the staff and punched one of the election judges in the face.

Staff and other patrons restrained the man until police arrived to arrest him.

Source: WLOS

Authorities charged the man with multiple counts of aggravated battery and resisting arrest.

4. Man tried entering Capitol Building with flare gun and torch

At around noon on election day (5 Nov), police arrested a man who tried to enter the Capitol Building with a flare gun and torch.

Source: Newsweek

According to Reuters, authorities closed the Capitol Visitor Center while they investigated the case.

In a press conference, the police said the man was carrying a backpack and wearing a coat. Security detected the smell of gasoline on the man and also found the flare gun in his belongings.

They then arrested the man and found additional “papers” on him. The man said he planned on delivering the documents to Congress.

Police are still investigating the case to determine where the man came from and what his motives are.

5. Google search for ‘did Joe Biden drop out’ spikes on US election day

Despite Joe Biden dropping out of the race for President back in July, Google searches in the US for “did Joe Biden drop out” spiked on 5 Nov.

According to Google Trends, Americans were curious why the incumbent President wasn’t on the ballot.

The spike seemingly implied that many American voters weren’t even aware of who the presidential candidates were, despite both of them campaigning for months.

This didn’t escape the eyes of a California-based data scientist. He made a post on X highlighting the trend, which has been viewed by 3.4 million people.