Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla, publicly endorsed Donald Trump for the first time in the U.S. presidential race, calling the Republican former president “tough.”
TakeAway Points:
- Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, declared that he “totally” supports Trump following the former president’s injuries from gunfire at a Pennsylvania rally.
- As the news was breaking on Saturday, Musk posted his support on X.
- Additionally, he shared a picture of Trump raising his right fist in the air to address the throng, seemingly covered in blood on the side of his face.
Tech billionaire Musk endorses Trump
Elon Musk posted on X that he “fully” endorses Donald Trump moments after the former president and presumptive Republican nominee was rushed off stage by secret service members following gunshots at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk wrote on X, which he owns.
The posts cement Musk’s shift towards right-wing politics and hand Trump a high-profile backer in his quest to return to the White House in the Nov. 5 election.
Trump was taken to a local medical facility, where he is receiving care. His spokesman said the former president “will be fine.” Trump had what appeared to be blood on the sides of his head and his ear.
In a separate post, Musk, the CEO of Tesla and defense contractor SpaceX, shared a photo showing Trump pumping his fist into the air with the American flag behind him and with secret service members scrambling to protect him. Musk also compared Trump to Theodore Roosevelt, who survived an assassination attempt while campaigning for president in 1912.
One spectator from the rally is dead, and a second is in serious condition, according to the district attorney in Butler County, where the rally took place. The shooter is dead, NBC News confirms.
Endorsement, not donation
While Musk hadn’t directly endorsed Trump prior to Saturday’s event, he had made it clear that he was opposing President Joe Biden’s return to the White House. He claimed in a post in March that he was not going to donate money to either candidate for president.
Musk met with Trump earlier this year at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach and said at Tesla’s 2024 annual shareholder meeting that he has “had some conversations” with Trump. Musk also said at that event that Trump “does call me out of the blue for no reason.”
On Friday, Bloomberg reported that Musk has donated a “sizable” but undisclosed amount to a pro-Trump superPAC called America PAC.
Past tension but now a Fan
In July 2022, Musk said Trump was “too old to be” president of the United States, and Trump needed to “sail into the sunset.” Musk also said he was leaning towards supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for president in 2024. Trump hit back, calling Musk a “Bull***t artist.”
In late 2022, Twitter reversed its ban on former U.S. President Trump shortly after Musk completed his $44 billion purchase of the controversial social media platform, which he later renamed X.
Last month, Trump said he was “a fan of Elon,” adding “he does an incredible job with Tesla.”
Musk said at a recent Tesla shareholder meeting that the two men had “some conversations.” Trump is a “huge fan” of Tesla’s electric pickup trucks, Musk said.
Trump has reiterated his pledge to immediately abandon the Biden administration’s “mandate” to support the electric vehicle industry.
Musk’s support for Republicans and his antisemitic and other controversial comments have alienated some Tesla customers, weighing on the carmaker’s reputation and sales.
