Billionaires Elon Musk and Bill Ackman publicly endorsed Donald Trump for president after he survived an assassination attempt on Saturday.
“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk declared. His statement quickly went viral as video footage of the attempt circulated online.
Musk, who leads both SpaceX and Tesla, later shared a powerful image of Trump pumping his fist, framed by the American flag, with Secret Service agents in the background, diligently ensuring his safety.
In another post, Musk drew a historical parallel, comparing Trump to 1912 presidential candidate Theodore Roosevelt, who also survived an assassination attempt.
Following Musk's endorsement, billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman voiced his support for Trump, despite knowing the backlash he would face.
“A friend who supports Biden and hates Trump complained to me this morning that I am being narcissistic by sharing my views publicly on the presidential election, and that I should keep my views to myself,” Ackman shared on X on Sunday.
“I explained to my friend that part of being a good citizen is participating in the political process. If one believes that one candidate is materially better for the country than another, one should advocate in any way that they can for that candidate. This is not narcissism. It is patriotism. All of us have an obligation to stand up and be counted.”
MaketWatch further reports on the response to the attempted assassination:
“I have had the benefit of spending a few hours recently with President Trump so I will have some first hand observations to share,” he said, adding that he will be explaining his decision to support Trump in a longer post to come.
The Pershing Square Capital Management manager's endorsement came in the wake of Saturday's attack on Trump, who was shot in the ear at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, though he is expected to be able to attend this week's Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. One attendee at the rally was also killed and two others critically injured, with the shooter shot and killed by the Secret Service, according to The Associated Press.
“We are in the midst of a perilous moment for our democracy. The risk of any of the candidates being harmed can have catastrophic consequences for confidence in our system and democracy,” Ackman said in a separate post after the shooting.
Ackman had last year urged Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan CEO, to run for president saying the banker's “command of geopolitics, the global economy and more,” made him better suited for office compared with President President Biden “and any of the other candidates for president.” He told CNBC in an interview earlier this year that Biden should step down and would lose if he were to run against Trump.
Before the Saturday's events, Musk had made it clear that he opposed President Joe Biden's return to the White House, even if he hadn't officially endorsed Trump.
Dems will stop at nothing to keep President Trump from winning. I hope this incident backfires on them.