Elon Musk endorses Trump for first time after capturing and calls on head of Secret Service to resign | EUROtoday

Sign up for the day by day Inside Washington e-mail for unique US protection and evaluation despatched to your inbox

Get our free Inside Washington e-mail

Elon Musk has publicly endorsed Donald Trump for the primary time within the 2024 presidential race, simply moments after the previous president was focused in an assassination try on Saturday.

Musk, the world’s richest particular person, posted the endorsement on his platform X alongside video of Trump with blood on his face and pumping his fist within the air moments after a gunman opened hearth 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 submit, citing a reported debate between conservative enterprise capitalist Peter Thiel and LinkedIn co-founder and Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman.

Trump was quarter-hour into giving a speech at a rally in Butler when pictures rang out and the previous president was seen clutching his ear, earlier than ducking beneath the rostrum.

He was then coated by Secret Service brokers, earlier than showing from the huddle to lift his fist at his supporters as he was rushed off the stage to hospital.

He has since returned residence to New Jersey and is alleged to be “doing well”.

Follow our dwell weblog for updates on the aftermath of the assassination try on Donald Trump

One rallygoer was killed within the capturing and two others are in essential situation in hospital.

The gunman was shot and killed on the scene by authorities.

The FBI later recognized 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 constructing lower than 500 toes from the stage, in response to eyewitnesses, who stated they pointed him out to safety.

An investigation has now been launched into how the shooter acquired so near the stage, with House Republicans demanding solutions from Secret Service.

Musk additionally weighed in on the matter, responding to a submit on X through which he referred to as for the Secret Service boss to be fired.

“Extreme incompetence or it was deliberate,” he stated. “Either way, the SS [Secret Service] leadership must resign.”

Trump had earlier thanked the police and Secret Service, which provides lifetime safety to former presidents, after the assault.

Musk additionally later posted {a photograph} of Trump on the occasion, adopted by: “Last time America had a candidate this tough was Theodore Roosevelt.”

Musk, who has been ramping up criticism of President Joe Biden in latest months, has beforehand donated to a political group working to elect Trump, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing sources.

The South African-born businessman’s sway stands to profit Trump, since Musk has one of many largest footprints on X with 189.5 million followers, which means his posts can instantaneously unfold broadly.

Musk has stated he beforehand voted for Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton in addition to Biden.

However, in the previous few years, Musk has espoused right-wing views, turning into a fierce critic of range initiatives, Biden’s immigration insurance policies and complaining that Democrats had given a “very cold shoulder” to Tesla and his rocket firm SpaceX.