Tesla CEO Elon Musk made a memorable appearance at former President Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday – a rare appearance for the tech entrepreneur.
Wearing a black “Make America Great Again” hat and a T-shirt reading “Occupy Mars,” Musk appeared on stage shortly after Trump made his own remarks before a massive crowd of 60,000 supporters. The rally was held at the same site where Trump was shot by gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks on July 13.
“As you can see, I am not just MAGA — I am Dark MAGA,” Musk joked, a nod to the Dark Brandon meme. He called the upcoming Nov. 5 election “the most important election of our lifetime.”
“This is no ordinary election,” Musk claimed. “The other side wants to take away your freedom of speech.”
Although Musk has become a vocal Trump supporter, the speech marked the first time that the tech entrepreneur stumped at a major presidential rally. Musk previously confirmed that he would be at the rally on social media this week.
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Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump hugs Elon Musk at a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“I want to say what an honor it is to be here and, you know, the true test of someone’s character is how they behave under fire, right?” Musk said at the beginning of his remarks. “And we had one president who couldn’t climb a flight of stairs, and another who was fist pumping after getting shot.”
Musk, considered one of the most influential people in the world, also encouraged the audience to “vote, vote, vote.”
“Just be a pest to everyone,” he said to the audience. “You know, people on the street everywhere: Vote, vote, vote!”
“Fight, fight, fight, vote, vote, vote,” Musk added. At one point, the X owner jumped excitedly.
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Republican presidential nominee former President Trump listens as Elon Musk speaks during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds, Saturday, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Trump’s speech, which opened with a roaring start by him thanking the people of Pennsylvania and making a light joke about the attempt on his life in July with the line “And as I was saying…”, was largely positive and uplifting, a departure from his normally acrid criticisms of his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
During the speech, the Republican candidate did make pointed remarks about his opponents who “maybe even tried to kill me.”
“Above all, you deserve leadership in Washington that does not answer to the lobbyists, to the bureaucrats, or to the corrupt special interests, but answers only to you, the hardworking citizens of America, of which there are a lot of them,” Trump described.
Elon Musk jumps on the stage as Republican presidential nominee former President Trump speaks at a campaign rally Saturday, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“We have a lot of them. We have a lot of them over the past eight years, those who want to stop us from achieving this future have slandered me, impeached me, indicted me, tried to throw me off the ballot, and who knows, maybe even tried to kill me,” the candidate continued. “But I’ve never stopped fighting for you. And I never will.”
At the beginning of his speech, the Republican candidate turned his attention to the immigration chart he had put up – the same one that was displayed when he was shot on July 13.
“I love that chart,” Trump said. “I love that graph. Isn’t it a beautiful thing?”
A large crowd waits for the arrival of former President Trump at a rally in Butler, Pa., on Saturday. (Matthew McDermott for Fox News Digital)
“But also beautiful because look at the number, that’s the day I left office,” he continued. “It was the lowest Border Patrol [apprehensions]…Today, it’s out of control.”
Trump also held a moment of silence for Corey Comperatore at 6:11 p.m., the exact time that Crooks began firing at the former president on July 13. Comperatore, a rally attendee and firefighter, was fatally wounded while protecting his family.
Speaking at the beginning of his speech in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump acknowledged Comperatore’s death and thanked his relatives – including his widow and their daughters – for attending.
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“It is 6:11, 12 weeks to the minute, that the shooting began,” Trump said. “I would like to ask everyone to join me in a moment of silence.”
An opera singer sang “Ave Maria” as Trump and the rally attendees paid their respects.
