1 month ago
Last Updated: October 06, 2024, 08:02 IST
Butler, US
Elon Musk speaks as Donald Trump reacts during a rally at the site of the July assassination attempt against Trump, in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 5, 2024. (Reuters)
Trump defies threats at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, questioning opponents and vowing to "never quit," as security concerns escalate ahead of the election
Billionaire Elon Musk took the stage at Donald Trump’s rally in Butler Saturday — three months after the first assassination attempt on the former US president’s life there — where he offered his support for the Republican candidate and urged people to register to vote.
Musk, dressed in all black and wearing a custom “Make America Great Again” hat, declared, “Trump must win to preserve the Constitution and democracy in America.” He stressed the urgency of voter registration, urging attendees to mobilise others to register before the upcoming election on November 5. “If they don’t, this will be the last election,” he warned, drawing loud cheers from the crowd of over 20,000.
Elon Musk’s FULL Speech At Donald Trump Rally (in Butler, Pennsylvania)In short: VOTE, VOTE, VOTE.
1. Register to vote2. Vote
Very important message. pic.twitter.com/LSJUQ1cA9W
— stevenmarkryan (@stevenmarkryan) October 5, 2024
‘Dark MAGA’
In his remarks, Musk criticised President Biden and the Democratic Party while praising Trump. He remarked on Trump’s resilience, saying, “You know, the true test of someone’s character is how they behave under fire,” referencing Trump’s experience during the assassination attempt. Musk’s comments were met with enthusiastic applause as he reinforced his commitment to Trump’s campaign, humorously identifying himself as “Dark MAGA.”
“If Donald Trump doesn’t win, the Democratic Party will legalize so many illegals that there will be no swing states! America will become a single-party socialist state, just like what happened in California, where they made requiring voter ID illegal,” Musk said in a post on X. The Tesla CEO then changed his profile picture on X to show him sporting a MAGA hat.
The rousing support for Trump during the Butler rally underlined Musk’s growing political engagement and financial support for Republican initiatives. Recently, he contributed $289,100 to the Republican Congressional Committee and has been vocal about his political stance on social media.
The event also featured Trump vowing to work with Musk to reach Mars if elected again. The atmosphere was charged with emotion as several attendees from the July incident returned to show their support for both Trump and Musk. Much has changed since Trump’s last visit to Butler, when he was riding high in polls after crushing Biden in a TV debate.
Barely a week after the failed assassination bid, the presidential race was turned on its head when Biden dropped out and was replaced as the Democratic nominee by Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris has clawed back the poll deficit — reversing it in some states — and the seismic events in Butler that had threatened to unleash chaos were largely overtaken. Trump’s rally appeared aimed at recovering the momentum as a bruising campaign enters its final phase.
