Billionaire Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and owner of the social media platform X, endorsed former President Donald Trump on Saturday after a gunman attempted to assassinate the former president during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Musk later called for Secret Service resignations in the wake of the shooting, which left one rally attendee dead and a second injured.
Musk posted a video of the attempted assassination in to X, where he received more than 55 million views at press time, and wrote, “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.”
I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery pic.twitter.com/ZdxkF63EqF
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 13, 2024
Trump confirmed in a statement he survived the attempted assassination with only a grazing bullet wound to his right ear. The killer was fatally shot at the scene, but his identity remains unknown at press time, with authorities reportedly only confirming the culprit was a white male.
The Secret Service stated on Saturday, “a suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue,” and was situated in an elevated position outside of the rally venue. The agency additionally confirmed the would-be assassin was killed by Secret Service personnel.
Here is the latest information from our investigation. We are grateful to the Secret Service team and our law enforcement partners for their swift action. Our thoughts go out to the families affected by this tragedy. pic.twitter.com/E8FazqtUVZ
— Anthony Guglielmi (@SecretSvcSpox) July 14, 2024
After a witness to the attempted assassination claimed to the BBC that he watched the shooter crawl into position to shoot Trump and was ignored by Secret Service and other law enforcement at the scene, Musk called for resignations.
“The head of the Secret Service and the leader of this security detail should resign,” wrote Musk in one post to X. He later described the attempted assassination was either “[e]xtreme incompetence” or a “deliberate” failure.
Musk added, “Either way, the SS leadership must resign.”
The head of the Secret Service and the leader of this security detail should resign https://t.co/ihlEC5NP1w
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 14, 2024
Echoing the demand for resignations issued by Musk, former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino specifically called for the resignation of Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle, who he claimed has politicized the agency by denying Trump the same level of protection as sitting presidents.
“President Trump does not have that,” stated Bongino, who noted, “there are some legalities,” before arguing, “It is putting the man in danger, his threat level is apocalyptic and catastrophic.”
He declared Cheatle “unqualified” for the job, and stated that after the assassination attempt is addressed, “she should step down immediately.”
.@dbongino calls on Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle to resign immediately after attempted Trump assassination.
"It is time right now for Kim Cheatle to get her head out of her ass and do the right thing. I could tell you stories for days about her putting politics ahead of… pic.twitter.com/8ewszu5qFH
— Bongino Report (@BonginoReport) July 14, 2024
Free speech activist Michael Shellenberger, who was part of the Twitter Files release by Musk in December 2022, stopped short of calling for resignations but called the attempted assassination “a catastrophic failure of the Secret Service.”
Shellenberger wrote, “[t]he former president’s head was a couple of inches from being blown off on live television,” and later described the Secret Service performance as “[s]hocking and disturbing.”
This is a catastrophic failure of the Secret Service. The former president’s head was a couple of inches from being blown off on live television. https://t.co/BSC0LobcHJ
— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) July 13, 2024
The FBI confirmed on Saturday night it is now leading the investigation into the attempted assassination, which the agency called an “incident” in its media statement.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Elon Musk” by Elon Musk and “Donald Trump” Is by Donald Trump/Charlie Kirk.
Musk needs to do what prior management did under these circumstances.
1) Suspend the accounts of the people who supported the assassination attempt and list the reason why when people try to reach their account.
2) Doxx them. Democratize cancel culture to get them fired and harass them and their families. Call their employers to get them fired.
3) Provide law enforcement their info without a warrant and drag them into the criminal justice system. It’s a private company after all.
4) Search through their private messages for pro-assassination support and joking.
5) Especially focus on elected Democrats, their staffers and media figures.