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Elon Musk joined Donald Trump on stage during a rally in Pennsylvania.
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Musk said that voter turnout in Trump’s favor was paramount or that “this will be the last election.”
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The event was held at the same location where a gunman almost assassinated Trump in July.
Donald Trump has a new headliner: Elon Musk.
The billionaire and owner of some of the world’s most important companies spoke at the former president’s high-profile rally in Butler, Pennsylvania – the same place where Trump was almost assassinated in July.
Standing on stage alongside Trump, Musk warned that voter turnout was paramount for the former president this year or that “this will be the last election.”
“President Trump must win to preserve the Constitution,” Musk said during his speech. “He must win to preserve democracy in America.”
In a Trump campaign press release issued before the event, Musk was listed as an attendee immediately after Trump’s immediate family but before his running mate JD Vance, apparently indicating how important Musk’s presence at the event was to the campaign is.
The rally was held at the same location, the Butler Farm Show Grounds, where a gunman managed to hit Trump in the ear on July 13, in what was by far the most dramatic moment of a historic presidential campaign season.
Immediately after the shooting, Musk officially endorsed Trump. Since then, he has been a vocal supporter, most notably through posts on X applauding the former president and criticizing his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, on an almost daily basis.
But Musk and Trump weren’t always so friends. In 2015, Musk said it would be “a little embarrassing” if Trump secured the Republican presidential nomination. And in 2016, he said Trump was “not right” for the presidency. When he was elected president in late 2016, Trump announced that Musk would join his economic advisory council, but Musk later cut ties with the administration over disagreements over climate policy.
The two found some common ground in 2020 when they spoke out against COVID-19 regulations, but their feud intensified in July 2022. At a Trump rally, Trump called Musk a “bullshit artist,” after which Musk suggested that Trump should not run for president again. Trump retaliated, saying Musk would be “worthless” without government subsidies and that Trump could have previously had Musk on his knees begging for government support.
Despite their on-again, off-again relationship, Musk has been fairly consistent in his support of Republican causes. Musk has donated millions to conservative campaigns over the years, including at least $10 million to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was competing against Trump for the Republican nomination. Musk endorsed DeSantis and interviewed him live on
The relationship between the two has now completely changed. Musk is now one of the president’s most prominent supporters. Musk has funded a pro-Trump super PAC that has donated millions to Republican campaigns and run ads touting Trump as the only option to “save America.”
And in August, Trump said he would offer Musk a Cabinet post, calling him a “brilliant guy.” Musk said he would agree in a post on
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