Elon Musk stumps for Trump in Butler, Pa., with one request for the audience: ‘Register to vote’

Tech billionaire Elon Musk took the stage in Butler, Pa., Saturday during what is believed to be his first time at a rally for Donald Trump, to applaud the former president’s “courage under fire” and encourage the crowd to register to vote and urge others to do the same.

”I have one ask for everyone in the audience, everyone who watches this video … it’s very important: Register to vote,” Musk said. “And get everyone you know and everyone you don’t know, drag them to register to vote.”

Musk’s comments came as Trump returned to the Butler Farm Show site where he was wounded in an assassination attempt in July. The rally could be pivotal with Election Day just about five weeks away and Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris virtually in a deadlocked race.

In a somewhat rambling speech, Musk’s sentiments echoed that of other speakers at the rally who emphasized the importance of voting in the 2024 election.

» READ MORE: Returning to Butler puts a big spotlight on Trump. How will he use it?

”Fight, fight, fight, vote, vote, vote,” Musk said as he ended his speech.

Musk was one of the Trump campaign’s roughly 60 “special guests” for Saturday’s rally, ranging from major Trump donors to Pennsylvania law enforcement members to family members of Corey Comperatore, the firefighter killed when Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight rounds at Trump, hitting the former president’s right ear.

Musk’s appearance in Butler is fitting, given that he once told Trump that the former president’s actions following the July assassination attempt inspired the X CEO to publicly endorse him.

”Your actions at the assassination attempt were inspiring … instead of shying away from things, instead of ducking down, you were pumping your first in the air and saying, ‘Fight, fight, fight,’” Musk said during the long-winded August conversation that went somewhat viral solely for its 42-minute delay due to technical difficulties.

Musk has positioned himself as a loyal fan of Trump. Once a supporter of Democratic candidates, Musk has waded into spreading disinformation online aligned with Trump and other right-wing political movements. Recently, he shared a video on X that sought to vilify Haitian immigrants after Trump’s false and xenophobic claims about the community in Charleroi, Pa.

The Trump campaign says Musk’s participation, and that of the other guests, highlights “a testament to [Trump’s] determination to keep uniting our country and fight for the everyday Americans who have been ignored and left behind under Kamala Harris.”

Staff writer Susan Snyder contributed to this article.