Elon Musk speaks at Donald Trump rally, says election is a ‘must-win situation’

Elon Musk spoke for the first time at a Donald Trump rally, telling a large crowd in Butler, PA that the election was a “must-win situation.”

“As you can see, I’m not just MAGA, I’m Dark MAGA,” Musk, wearing a black Make America Great Again hat, told the crowd.

The rally was Trump’s first in Butler since he survived an assassination attempt there in July. Shortly after the shooting, Musk endorsed Trump, citing his response to the attack.

He referred to this moment in his remarks.

Musk said, “The true test of a man’s character is how he behaves under fire.” And we had a president who couldn’t climb the stairs and another who flailed after being shot. “Fight, fight, fight.” Blood runs down the face.”

He added: “America is the home of the brave, and there is no test more severe than courage under fire.”

Musk uses his social media platform X to promote Trump and warn against the election of Kamala Harris, often in foul language.

Musk has also trafficked in conspiracy theories and falsehoods. After the assassination, he accused the mainstream media of “propaganda” by downplaying the shooting and published a summary of the initial headlines that reported an incident at the rally but did not immediately identify the shootings as an assassination. Musk forgot to mention that the media continually updated its headlines as new information was confirmed.

At the rally, Musk said: “This is no ordinary election. The other side wants to take away your freedom of expression. They want to take away your right to bear arms. They want to disenfranchise you.”

Harris has pointed out that she is a gun owner and that Trump’s claim that she wants to take away people’s guns is a “constant lie.” She supports a ban on assault weapons, which she describes as weapons of war.

Musk has also tried to portray himself as a champion of free speech. But he has the accounts of users on Musks

At the rally, Musk criticized California lawmakers for passing a law banning local governments from imposing voter ID requirements. “I still can’t believe this is real,” Musk said.

“You need freedom of expression to have democracy,” Musk said. “That’s why it’s the First Amendment, and the Second Amendment is to make sure we have the First Amendment.”

He added: “Donald Trump must win to preserve the Constitution. He must win to preserve democracy in America.”

Musk’s comments contrasted with an appearance by Liz Cheney at a rally with Harris earlier this week. Cheney, the conservative former congresswoman, criticized Trump for trying to overturn the 2020 election and for inciting a mob to attack the Capitol in 2020. Nearly two years later, in a Trump Social post, Trump called for overturning the 2020 results “the repeal of all rules, regulations and articles, including those contained in the Constitution.”

Trump began his rally by telling the crowd, “Like I said,” a reference to the fact that his July event was immediately canceled. He paid tribute to Corey Comperatore, who was killed that day, and those injured. He also held a moment of silence at 6:11 p.m. ET, the exact time of the shooting.

Fox News carried the rally. CNN and MSNBC covered the first part of the rally, then stopped and returned to Musk’s remarks.