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Elon Musk has publicly endorsed Donald Trump for the first time in the 2024 presidential race, just moments after the former president was targeted in an assassination attempt on Saturday.
Musk, the world’s richest person, posted the endorsement on his platform X alongside video of Trump with blood on his face and pumping his fist in the air moments after a gunman opened fire at his rally in Pennsylvania.
“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk posted on his social media platform X.
“The martyr lived,” he wrote in a later post, citing a reported debate between conservative venture capitalist Peter Thiel and LinkedIn co-founder and Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman.
Trump was 15 minutes into giving a speech at a rally in Butler when shots rang out and the former president was seen clutching his ear, before ducking below the podium.
He was then covered by Secret Service agents, before appearing from the huddle to raise his fist at his supporters as he was rushed off the stage to hospital.
He has since returned home to New Jersey and is said to be “doing well”.
Follow our live blog for updates on the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump
One rallygoer was killed in the shooting and two others are in critical condition in hospital.
The gunman was shot and killed on the scene by authorities.
The FBI later identified the suspect as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old Pennsylvania native who was a registered Republican.
The suspect was reportedly seen “bear crawling” on the roof of a building less than 500 feet from the stage, according to eyewitnesses, who said they pointed him out to security.
An investigation has now been launched into how the shooter got so close to the stage, with House Republicans demanding answers from Secret Service.
Musk also weighed in on the matter, responding to a post on X in which he called for the Secret Service boss to be fired.
“Extreme incompetence or it was deliberate,” he said. “Either way, the SS [Secret Service] leadership must resign.”
Trump had earlier thanked the police and Secret Service, which gives lifetime protection to former presidents, after the attack.
Musk also later posted a photograph of Trump at the event, followed by: “Last time America had a candidate this tough was Theodore Roosevelt.”
Musk, who has been ramping up criticism of President Joe Biden in recent months, has previously donated to a political group working to elect Trump, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing sources.
The South African-born businessman’s sway stands to benefit Trump, since Musk has one of the largest footprints on X with 189.5 million followers, meaning his posts can instantaneously spread widely.
Musk has said he previously voted for Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton as well as Biden.
However, in the last few years, Musk has espoused right-wing views, becoming a fierce critic of diversity initiatives, Biden’s immigration policies and complaining that Democrats had given a “very cold shoulder” to Tesla and his rocket company SpaceX.
