Lasers from Space
Could Elon Musk have used Starlink to help elect Donald Trump in 2024?
Follow the messages, technology and business ties behind the question.
Musk posted about “lasers from space.”
In May 2026, Ashley St. Clair recounted laser-themed messages from her private exchanges with Musk before and during the election. A source close to Musk disputed her account.
- anomaly in the Matrix
- 10,000 lasers in space
- not a piece that they’ll see on the chessboard
yeah I knew hours ago that Trump won, my team has the best real-time data anywhere
Vaporize the opponent’s king with lasers from space
Starlink had emergency approval before the election.
Starlink was testing Direct to Cell before the vote. Emergency permissions came after Musk’s public post; nationwide approval followed Election Day.
- May 2024
Video call between unmodified phones.
- October 2, 2024
Musk’s public chess post.
- October 4 and 7, 2024
- November 5, 2024
Election Day.
- November 26, 2024
Nationwide approval, three weeks after the vote.
Starlink connects to phones by radio and links satellites by laser.
Direct to Cell connects compatible devices to satellites by cellular radio. Lasers carry traffic between satellites, then through Starlink’s core network to a partner carrier.
- Cellular deviceLTE radio
- Direct to Cell satelliteInter-satellite lasers
- Starlink core networkRoutes traffic to the carrier
- Carrier networkT-Mobile in the US
Ballot scanners and battery backups have different network connections.
Wisconsin approved a DS200 ballot scanner with an internal cellular modem for sending encrypted, digitally signed unofficial results after polls closed.
Tripp Lite uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), which keep equipment running during outages, appear among Dominion’s approved options. Their WEBCARDLXE management card uses Ethernet, not cellular radio.
Published vulnerabilities affect specific models and firmware; see technical notes.
The battery-backup company passed through a conservative political trust.
Tripp Lite’s ownership links the hardware business to conservative political funding through the Marble Freedom Trust, formed in 2020 and chaired by Leonard Leo.
- Barre SeidTripp Lite owner and conservative donor
- gave the company to
- Marble Freedom TrustLeonard Leo, chair
- sold for $1.65B · March 2021
- Eatonnew owner
Eaton expanded AI work with Palantir, co-founded by Peter Thiel, in May 2024. In September it announced a home-energy collaboration with Musk’s Tesla.
All the pieces are there.
The hypothesis connects the earlier chapters in four steps: network access, election software, false totals and replacement ballot images.
Starlink → a ballot scanner’s modem
Connect a deployed scanner’s compatible cellular modem through Starlink’s Direct to Cell route, carrying traffic through SpaceX’s network to a carrier.
Scanner or UPS access → election software
Reach the software handling results from the scanner’s network connection, or through a separate branch involving a Tripp Lite WEBCARDLXE card’s Ethernet controls.
Election software → accepted false totals
Deliver replacement unofficial results that the receiving system accepts, accounting for the encryption and digital signatures described in Wisconsin’s scanner records.
BallotProof’s test-image generator → replacement ballot images
Adapt BallotProof’s test-image generator to match the replacement totals, then replace stored election images. The next chapter introduces the project.
Musk’s later post closes the story.
A ballot-checking project generated test images.
BallotProof was a 2020 project for checking mail-ballot photos, with a generator for synthetic test images. That generator is the starting point for the image-replacement step described above.
Co-creator Ethan Shaotran, identified as Harvard ’25, placed in an October 2024 xAI hackathon and was reported as a DOGE engineer in February 2025.
Musk took credit for Trump’s election victory.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election”
Musk’s claim came during his public break with Trump, after spending over $290 million on the 2024 election.
The record connects technologies, business relationships and Musk’s public statements. Whether those connections were used to change votes remains unanswered by these sources.
Sources and technical notes
Message sources
The message reconstruction follows St. Clair’s May 2026 account. The cited account supplies neither screenshots nor a precise October date. TMZ reported a dispute from a source close to Musk, who described the laser reference as a chess metaphor. Musk’s October 2 public post concerned chess.
Equipment and network access
Wisconsin’s DS200 modem tests used AT&T, Sprint and Verizon; T-Mobile compatibility and November 2024 deployments are outside those records. Results transmissions were encrypted and digitally signed, and took place after polls closed.
Dominion’s 2023 test report lists two Tripp Lite models among seven approved UPS options, rather than county purchases. WEBCARDLXE uses Ethernet management. The UPS manual describes data cables carrying power status and shutdown instructions.
Reading protected traffic, issuing software commands and rewriting records require access beyond carrying network traffic. The pathway combines separately documented components; their deployment together is undocumented in the cited record.
Published vulnerabilities
These flaws require access to an affected device. The model, firmware and installation date matter when evaluating a 2024 scenario.
CVE-2019-16261
Published
The device accepts unauthenticated POST requests to its /Forms/ directory. A remote attacker who can reach the web interface can change the manager or admin password, or shut off power to an outlet.
Affected equipment: Tripp Lite PDUMH15AT firmware 12.04.0053 and SU750XL firmware 12.04.0052.
Model and date context: Two other models on their own firmware, not the WEBCARDLXE. The CVE record carries the vendor’s position that a firmware fix had shipped before the report. Requires network access to the card.
CVE-2026-22620
Published
Improper input validation in the authentication component (SQL injection, CWE-89) lets an unauthenticated remote attacker bypass authentication and gain privileged access to the device.
Affected equipment: Eaton Tripp Lite series PowerAlert Device Manager (PADM) firmware, versions 0 through 20.
Model and date context: Published 20 months after the 2024 election. Whether the flaw existed in firmware deployed in 2024, or on any device near a voting system, is not established.
Pathway access requirements
Starlink → a ballot scanner’s modem
Identify a compatible, active modem or another network route to a deployed election system.
Scanner or UPS access → election software
Access to the software handling election results is a separate requirement from access to network traffic or UPS controls.
Election software → accepted false totals
The Wisconsin memo describes encrypted, digitally signed transmissions. Acceptance of replacement totals requires accounting for both protections.
BallotProof’s test-image generator → replacement ballot images
Replacing stored ballot images requires write access to the election system, in addition to an image generator.
Partnerships and BallotProof
Eaton’s May 29, 2024 Palantir announcement concerned AI in its operations, building on supply-chain work. Its September 9 Tesla announcement concerned Powerwall batteries and smart breakers for home energy systems.
BallotProof’s browser-based checks were intended for voters’ mail-ballot photographs before submission. Its generator used sample templates and randomized marks for testing.
The repository lists Ethan Shaotran as one of four co-creators and identifies him as Harvard ’25. He was a runner-up at an October 2024 xAI hackathon and was reported as a DOGE engineer in February 2025.
Election infrastructure assessment
On November 6, 2024, CISA reported no evidence of malicious activity materially affecting election infrastructure.
Source index
- Palantir 2024 proxyPalantir Technologies Inc. 2024 proxy statement: board of directors
- Musk on XElon Musk on X: “Vaporize the opponent’s king with lasers from space”
- Futurism, May 21Elon Musk’s Ex Says He Bragged About 10,000 Lasers in Orbit That Are “Not a Piece They’ll See on the Chess Board”
- TMZ videoElon Musk’s Ex Ashley St. Clair Makes Explosive Election Claims, Sources Deny (video, 4 min 25 s, with TMZ’s transcript)
- TMZElon Musk's Ex Ashley St. Clair Makes Wild Claims About His Role in Election, Source Denies
- Musk on X“Frickin’ lasers in space!”
- Fox BusinessVenezuelan President Maduro challenges "arch-enemy" Elon Musk to a fight
- ChessdomElon Musk: "Vaporize the opponent’s king with lasers from space that never existed before!"
- SpaceX on X, May 2024SpaceX on X: first video call between unmodified phones over Starlink Direct to Cell
- PCMagSpaceX Demos Cellular Starlink Tech Powering Video Call Between Phones
- Starlink technical noteSpaceX Sends First Text Messages via Its Newly Launched Direct to Cell Satellites
- Starlink noticeStarlink Direct to Cell Service Now Available
- FCC orderOrder and Authorization, DA 24-1193 (SpaceX Gen2 / Supplemental Coverage from Space)
- ReutersUS lets Starlink provide direct-to-cell coverage for hurricane-hit areas
- Wisconsin systems mapWisconsin Voting Systems Hub
- Wisconsin modem memoPetition for Approval of Electronic Voting Systems EVS 5.2.0.0 and EVS 5.3.0.0
- Test reportTest Report: Dominion Voting Systems Democracy Suite 5.17S
- Verified VotingWhat’s This Rumor about Rockland County?
- DatasheetWEBCARDLXE Network Management Card for Select UPS Systems, TAA
- S3M manualOwner’s Manual, SmartOnline S3M 3-Phase UPS Systems (S3M10K–S3M20K), §7.3–7.4 USB and RS-232 Communication Port
- NYTAn Unusual $1.6 Billion Donation Bolsters Conservatives
- ProPublica, Aug. 2022How a Secretive Billionaire Handed His Fortune to the Architect of the Right-Wing Takeover of the Courts
- Eaton release, Sept. 9Eaton launches collaboration with Tesla at RE+ 24 streamlining new and retrofit home energy storage deployments
- Eaton release, May 29Eaton deepens partnership with Palantir to enhance AI use in operations
- The RecordTop US cyber official says ‘no evidence of malicious activity’ impacting election
- GitHubDevrathIyer/ballotproof
- DevpostBallotProof (HackGT 7 submission)
- WiredThe Young, Inexperienced Engineers Aiding Elon Musk’s Government Takeover
- Boston.comHarvard senior, Northeastern first-year student reportedly among Musk’s DOGE team
- Palo Alto OnlineGunn High grad part of Musk’s effort to control federal spending
- Musk on X, June 2025Elon Musk on X: "Without me, Trump would have lost the election…"
- AxiosMusk goes nuclear: "Without me, Trump would have lost the election"
- CNNElon Musk spent more than $290 million on the 2024 election, year-end FEC filings show
- NVD 2019CVE-2019-16261
- CVE.orgCVE-2026-22620
- NVD 2026CVE-2026-22620
- IONIXCVE-2026-22620: Authentication bypass in Eaton Tripp Lite PADM