Tech billionaire, Elon Musk, has finally endorsed former President Donald Trump following a shooting incident at the latter’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
The incident occurred just minutes into Trump’s speech, when gunshots reportedly rang out, causing chaos at the event.
Secret Service agents, in trending social media videos, were seen rushing Trump off stage with the clips showing what appeared to be blood on the former president’s face and a bleeding ear as he was escorted away.
In response to the incident, Musk took to social media platform X, to openly endorse Trump, tweeting: “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.”
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO accompanied his statement with a video of the moment Trump was evacuated from the stage.
The endorsement comes on the heels of reports that Musk had made a huge donation to a political action committee working to elect Trump.
According to Bloomberg, Musk contributed a “sizable amount” to a group called America PAC, though the exact figure was not disclosed.
The PAC is scheduled to release its list of donors on July 15, 2024.
Musk’s public support for Trump will no doubt boost the latter’s campaign ahead of the November 5, 2024, presidential election.
In March, following a meeting between Trump and wealthy donors, Musk had stated, “Just to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for US President.”
He had also previously denied reports of potential involvement in a Trump presidency.
The relationship between Musk and Trump has been complex. While Trump has praised Tesla’s accomplishments and expressed admiration for Musk’s work, he has also reiterated his pledge to abandon the Biden administration’s support for the electric vehicle industry if re-elected.
On his part, Musk has been critical of some of Biden’s policies, particularly regarding immigration and electric vehicles.
However, until now, he had not formally endorsed any candidate for the upcoming November election.