In a rare public appearance, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took the stage at former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, donning a black “Make America Great Again” hat and a T-shirt emblazoned with “Occupy Mars.” This event attracted a massive crowd of 60,000 supporters, held at the same location where Trump was shot by gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks on July 13.
Musk, who has increasingly aligned himself with Trump, humorously declared, “As you can see, I am not just MAGA — I am Dark MAGA,” referencing the popular Dark Brandon meme. He underscored the significance of the upcoming Nov. 5 election, stating, “This is no ordinary election,” and warned that “the other side wants to take away your freedom of speech.”
This rally marked Musk’s first time actively campaigning at a major presidential event, despite his vocal support for Trump in recent months. He expressed his gratitude for being there, saying, “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 contrasted the current leadership with past presidents, quipping, “And we had one president who couldn’t climb a flight of stairs and another who was fist pumping after getting shot.”
Encouraging the audience to engage in the electoral process, Musk urged them to “vote, vote, vote,” and added, “Just be a pest to everyone.” He rallied the crowd further with a chant of “Fight, fight, fight, vote, vote, vote,” even jumping excitedly at one point.
Trump’s speech, which began with a light-hearted acknowledgment of the attempt on his life, was largely positive and focused on his vision for America. He stated, “And as I was saying…” before pivoting to address the crowd’s concerns. Trump emphasized the need for leadership that prioritizes the American people over special interests, declaring, “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.”
He continued, “We have a lot of them. We have had 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. But I’ve never stopped fighting for you. And I never will.”
Trump also took a moment to discuss immigration, referencing a chart he had displayed during his previous rally. “I love that chart. I love that graph. Isn’t it a beautiful thing?” he remarked, before noting, “But also beautiful because look at the number, that’s the day I left office. It was the lowest Border Patrol [apprehensions]…Today, it’s out of control.”
In a somber moment, Trump honored Corey Comperatore, a rally attendee who was fatally wounded while protecting his family during the shooting incident. “It is 6:11, 12 weeks to the minute, that the shooting began,” Trump said, leading the crowd in a moment of silence as an opera singer performed “Ave Maria.”
As the rally concluded, both Musk and Trump left the audience energized and focused on the critical election ahead.
Trump & Elon Musk : GOOD COMPANYtogether to save America 🌳🇩🇰🕊