Elon Musk endorses Trump in presidential race shortly after rally shooting, calls him 'tough'

Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla, has officially endorsed Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential race, praising the Republican former president as "tough." Musk's endorsement came via a tweet that featured a video of Trump pumping his fist after shots were fired at his rally in Pennsylvania, showing him grimacing and raising a hand to his right ear.

"I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery," Musk posted on his social media platform, X. In a follow-up post, he wrote, "The martyr lived," and also called for the resignation of the head of the Secret Service and the leader of Trump's security detail.

These posts mark Musk's noticeable shift and provide Trump with a prominent supporter in his campaign to return to the White House in the November 5 election. Musk later shared a photograph of Trump at the rally, captioning it with, "Last time America had a candidate this tough was Theodore Roosevelt."




Musk has been increasingly critical of U.S. President Joe Biden and has donated to a political group supporting Trump's election, according to Bloomberg. With 189.5 million followers on X, Musk's endorsement is likely to significantly influence public opinion, as his posts can quickly reach a massive audience.

Musk has previously voted for Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. However, in recent years, he has become a vocal critic of Biden's immigration policies. He has also complained that Democrats have given a "very cold shoulder" to Tesla and SpaceX.

In March, Trump, who is expected to be formally nominated as the Republican Party's candidate for the November 5 election, met with Musk and other wealthy donors. Despite the meeting, Musk clarified on X, "Just to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for US President." He also denied media reports in May about potential advisory talks with Trump for any future presidency.