Elon Musk endorsed Donald Trump for re-election on Saturday night shortly after gunfire appeared to have broken out at the former president’s Pennsylvania rally. Trump was escorted off stage by Secret Service and was later seen with blood on his face.
“I fully support President Trump and wish him a speedy recovery,” Musk written on Saturday X.
Minutes later, Musk posted “The last time America had a candidate this tough was Theodore Roosevelt.” X, formerly the owner of Twitter, also shared a photo of Trump raising his fist with his face covered in blood, while Secret Service agents surrounded him.
Trump had only been speaking for a few minutes at a rally on Saturday when Secret Service agents surrounded him after a series of explosions. As of press time, the Secret Service is investigating the noises, but has not yet officially determined they were gunshots. Pennsylvania District Attorney Richard A. Goldfinger told the Associated Press that the suspect and an attendee were dead. In a statement to WIRED, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung confirmed that Trump was “fine.”
“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their swift action in this heinous act,” Cheung said. “He is doing well and is being evaluated at a local medical facility. We will provide further details.”
Musk donated to the pro-Trump America PAC on Friday, Bloomberg The report did not specify how much Musk donated, but it was described as a “large sum.” The PAC is required to disclose its list of donors by the end of next week.
Musk’s donation Friday was his first of this election cycle after he declined to endorse any presidential candidate in multiple interviews. In March, Musk told former CNN anchor Don Lemon that he “leaned away” from President Joe Biden when asked about his preferred candidate.
In a statement, the White House said Biden had received “initial reports of the incident.”
