Musk, Bill Ackman Endorse Trump’s 2024 Bid for President After Shooting

Following an attempted assassination on Saturday, billionaire businessman Elon Musk and hedge fund manager Bill Ackman have officially endorsed Donald Trump for president in the upcoming U.S. election.

After the shooting, Elon Musk, CEO of multiple companies including Tesla and SpaceX, posted several remarks on his social media platform X, criticizing the Secret Service and expressing support for the former president.

“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk wrote in one post, attaching a video of Trump being hurried off stage following the attempt. In another post, he remarked, “Last time America had a candidate this tough was Theodore Roosevelt.”

These endorsements are significant for Trump, given that they come from individuals with substantial financial and social media influence, as well as considerable business expertise.

Musk, who had previously expressed dissatisfaction with Democratic President Biden, has grown closer to Republican President Trump in recent months. However, his remarks on Saturday marked his most explicit public endorsement of Trump’s reelection campaign. Additionally, Musk responded, “You’re right,” to a user’s suggestion that Trump should select U.S. Sen. JD Vance (R., Ohio), as his vice president.

Reports indicate that Musk also made a financial contribution to a group supporting Trump’s reelection, according to a Friday report.

Bloomberg News, citing sources familiar with the donation, reported that the amount Musk contributed to the America PAC, a pro-Trump super PAC, is undisclosed. The PAC is scheduled to disclose its donors on July 17.

While Musk has not publicly endorsed a candidate for the 2024 election, he has been increasingly vocal about politics on X.

In the lead-up to the election, Musk has criticized President Biden’s immigration policies on X, aligning with conservative viewpoints.

For instance, in September, he visited the U.S.-Mexico border at Eagle Pass, Texas, afterward declaring that the “situation is beyond insane and growing fast.” Additionally, he has criticized President Biden and his administration following the brutal murder of University of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley by an illegal immigrant.

“Dems won’t deport, because every illegal is a highly likely vote at some point,” Musk wrote on his X platform. “That simple incentive explains what seems to be insane behavior. It has become so brazen that a gang of illegals can beat up police officers on camera in Times Square, get out of jail for free and still not get deported!”

Previously, Musk had announced on X that he would not be donating to either candidate. “Just to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for US President,” he wrote.

Musk’s reported donation coincides with Make America Great Again Inc., a leading super PAC, announcing an impressive $104 million fundraising haul during the April-June second quarter of 2024 for Trump’s campaign.

Following last month’s debate between Trump and Biden, Musk suggested that it was merely political theater. Shortly after the debate, Musk shared his thoughts on X in response to a post from billionaire venture capitalist David Sacks.

Sacks had commented, “Watching the CNN commentators put the knife in Biden’s back is actually sickening. No loyalty. No remorse. It’s just gross.” Musk responded: “They’re just talking puppets. It was a setup for a switch.”

During a CNN segment on Friday, University of Virginia Center for Politics Director Larry Sabato stated that the race between Biden and Trump is “no longer close.” He dismissed the notion that Biden could significantly close the gap with an ABC News interview or rallies.

“I don’t think [President Biden] can change the dynamic with one interview,” Sabato said. “I suppose you’d say stop the bleeding and the bleeding has been bad. I mean, we’ve been looking at all the data coming in, all the surveys — some public, some private — and it’s bad. Democrats need to understand that things are not stable and it is no longer close. The race between Biden and Trump is no longer close.”

“Just take the four last week, including CNN’s poll — all of them were in agreement, which you rarely see even with well-conducted polls: Biden, who was really maybe even, maybe two points behind Trump, is now — at least in unison in these polls — six points behind,” Sabato added. “That’s millions and millions of voters. And what is it that’s going to restore them? A good interview, a good rally? Come on.”

Meanwhile, Biden has stated he is staying in the presidential race against Trump, but that may not align with voters' desires.

A Rasmussen Reports poll shared on Friday revealed unfavorable news for both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The poll indicated that 55 percent of respondents want the president to withdraw from the election. Additionally, 50 percent said Democrats should choose someone other than Harris as his replacement.

“Importantly, nearly half (48%) of Democratic voters at least somewhat agree that Biden should step aside and let the Democratic Party choose another candidate,” the poll stated.

Another poll from Cygnal also brought negative news for the Democrats, as voters criticized the president’s debate performance and showed no confidence in the vice president.

“Post-debate, we’ve seen the largest single month-over-month movement towards Republicans across-the-board, from R+0 to R+4, in the history of our national polling,” Cygnal President Brent Buchanan said. “President Biden’s image worsened to 62% having an unfavorable view of him after 67% of respondents said they watched his disastrous debate performance.”

“Trump’s performance earned him 4 points of undecided debate-watchers and another 3 points from those who were Biden supporters heading into the debate. There’s little question this has further eroded the political environment for Democrats,” he concluded.