A number of Donald Trump critics have mocked Elon Musk over his appearance alongside the former president at a Pennsylvania rally.
Musk, the billionaire owner of X, formerly Twitter, and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, joined Trump onstage in Butler on Saturday to show his support for the Republican and state that he is “not just MAGA — I am Dark MAGA.”
After Trump introduced Musk to the stage, the tech mogul enthusiastically jumped in the air several times while supporters cheered. Musk, who wore a black Make America Great Again cap, warned in his speech that “this will be the last election” if the former president does not win in November while urging people to vote.
Butler was the scene of an assassination attempt against Trump at a rally in July. Pennsylvania is also one of the key swing states that could determine who wins next month’s election between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
A number of people have mocked Musk’s appearance at the Butler rally on Saturday on social media, as well as criticizing his public speaking efforts.
However, a number of Republican figures praised Musk for joining Trump on the campaign trail, and suggested the endorsement of the man who has more than 200 million followers on X could be influential in the election.
JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images
AJ Delgado, a former 2016 Trump campaign adviser who is now a vocal critic of the former president, posted on X while sharing a clip of Musk’s speech: “What a horrible public speaker Elon is…. my goodness—I’m cringing.
“Elon, never wear a baseball cap again. They do not work on you. This is all super low energy.”
Ron Filipkowski, a former federal prosecutor and frequent Trump critic, wrote above a clip of Musk jumping on stage: “This might be the cringiest s*** I’ve ever seen in politics.”
In reply, Mary Trump, niece of the former president author who also frequently attacks her uncle, said: “Hey Donald, is it too late to inject bleach into my eyeballs?”
Joanne Carducci, better known as the popular political social media account JoJoFromJerz, wrote while sharing a photo of Musk mid-jump: “It was the darkest of times, it was the dumbest of times.”
Musician Bill Madden added: “The utter desperation in Elon Musk’s voice is palpable. He knows the likelihood of getting millions of dollars in tax cuts is diminishing.”
Newsweek has contacted Trump’s and Musk’s offices for comment via email.
‘Dark MAGA’: The utter desperation in Elon Musk’s voice is palpable. He knows the likelihood of getting millions of dollars in tax cuts is diminishing. Anybody who thinks the greed-driven billionaire is not all in on a Trump dictatorship — listen to this. pic.twitter.com/vM9kNNVIrj
— Bill Madden (@maddenifico) October 5, 2024
Political commentator Gunther Eagleman was one of those who praised Musk’s appearance at the Butler rally.
“I don’t know about you, but it feels like Elon Musk is hell-bent on saving this nation just as much as we are,” Eagleman posted. “It’s empowering to see another man that didn’t have to care taking the lead.
“Elon could’ve stayed quiet, he didn’t have to buy Twitter. He didn’t have to defy the narratives, but he chose the path of the truth. He has effectively brought forth the best chance we have to bringing the truth to politics.”
The pro-Trump @BehizyTweets account, which has more than 389,000 followers on X, added: “This will go down as the greatest Trump rally in history.”
The event in Butler was the first time that Musk and Trump have appeared together during a campaign event, although the pair conducted an interview that was blighted by technical issues, which was streamed on X in August.
Trump has previously indicated that Musk could have a role in his next administration should he win November’s race.
