Elon Musk Endorses Trump After Pennsylvania Rally Shooting, Donates to Super PAC
In the aftermath of a shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania, where former US President Donald Trump was injured, Elon Musk has given a full-throated endorsement of the presumptive GOP nominee. The billionaire entrepreneur also donated an undisclosed amount of money to America PAC, a super political action committee working to elect Trump in 2024.
The shooting, which left Trump bleeding from the ear, has prompted Musk to rethink his own security protocols. In a tweet, Musk replied to a user who suggested he "beef up" his security, saying "Maybe it’s time to build that flying metal suit of armor." He also wrote on X, "Dangerous times ahead. Two people (separate occasions) have already tried to kill me in the past 8 months. They were arrested with guns about 20 mins drive from Tesla HQ in Texas."
Musk’s endorsement of Trump comes after he initially stated that he had no plans to donate to any US presidential candidate. However, following the shooting, he launched into a reply spree on X, alluding to the shooting being due to incompetence from the Secret Service and blaming Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle for the incident.
"I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery," Musk wrote on X. He also donated an undisclosed amount of money to America PAC, a super political action committee working to elect Trump in 2024, sources familiar with the donation told Bloomberg on Saturday.
The FBI has named the 20-year-old suspect in the assassination attempt, and an active investigation is ongoing. Trump was seen standing up and defiantly raising a fist, with streaks of blood streaming down his face, after the shooting.
Musk’s endorsement of Trump is a significant development, as the billionaire entrepreneur has previously been critical of the former president. However, in a tweet on Sunday, Musk revealed that he had long held sympathies for Trump. He also recalled attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2011, where then-President Barack Obama roasted Trump for questioning his citizenship status.
"At the time, I thought it seemed messed up to be picking on someone in the audience so meanly," Musk said in an X post.
Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.
