Tesla boss Elon Musk declared on Platform X that he fully supports Donald Trump, doing so just moments after the former president and Republican presidential candidate was evacuated from a campaign rally stage following an assassination attempt.
“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Elon Musk wrote on X.
In another message, Musk shared the photo of the ex-president with his fist in the air and the American flag in the background. He also compared Donald Trump to Theodore Roosevelt, who survived an assassination attempt while campaigning for the presidency in 1912.
Elon Musk had not directly endorsed Donald Trump prior to Saturday's event, but he had made it clear that he opposed President Joe Biden's return to the White House. In March, he had said he would not give money to either presidential candidate.
On Friday, Bloomberg reported that Elon Musk had donated a “significant” but undisclosed sum. Musk is off and on the richest person on the planet, with an estimated net worth of around $250 billion, according to Forbes.
It remains unclear of course just how much difference public endorsement will make to Trump’s election prospects, considering Elon Musk's popularity with his supporters on the one hand, and the increasing animus others feel towards him on the other.