Elon Musk says he will attend Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania

Billionaire Elon Musk will attend former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, the same location where Trump was shot in the ear in a near-miss assassination attempt during a July speech.

Musk, who in recent months has become a key figure in Trump’s campaign and has increased his political spending for Republicans across the board , said on X (which he owns), “I will be there to support!” While Musk has hosted Trump during a virtual event on X and has said he's donating $45 million monthly to a PAC that supports him, he has not rallied with the former president.

Trump pledged to return to Butler so he could honor the life of Corey Comperatore, a firefighter in the crowd who was killed by the shooter.

“I WILL BE GOING BACK TO BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, FOR A BIG AND BEAUTIFUL RALLY, HONORING THE SOUL OF OUR BELOVED FIREFIGHTING HERO, COREY, AND THOSE BRAVE PATRIOTS INJURED TWO WEEKS AGO,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on July 26. “WHAT A DAY IT WILL BE — FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS.”

Comperatore's family, as well as first responders and others from the last rally, will be in attendance on Saturday. Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, will also be attendance, as well as seven House Republicans and GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has become increasingly critical of Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris, after supporting them for years.

“Kamala’s voting track record when she was in the Senate was to the left of Bernie Sanders!” he wrote on X . “She was rated most far left of all 100 senators. Not a moderate at all.”

Musk's transition into a major Trump surrogate stands in stark contrast to his past political views. He said he voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, and he also supported Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama. But the views he now espouses on X align quite directly with conservative talking points, especially on immigration government oversight.

In a recent post, Musk accused the government of “literally using YOUR tax dollars to import voters and disenfranchise you!” Musk himself is an immigrant.

America PAC, which supports Trump and is largely funded by Musk, is teaming up with the conservative Turning Point Action group in Wisconsin to mobilize voters leading up to election day. Musk’s contributions to America PAC are key to Trump’s reelection given the role that outside groups are playing in get-out-the-vote efforts. The PAC is also funded by wealthy businesspeople like Cameron and Tyker Winklevoss and former U.S. ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft and her husband, Joe Craft.

And recently, Trump announced Musk would head a “government efficiency commission” if he was elected in November. The establishment of that commission would be completely new terrain for Musk.

Musk’s virtual interview with Trump, which both promoted as a historic event, is mostly remembered for its glaring technical difficulties and 45-minute delay. Still, it functioned as the beginning of their public relationship that will reach new heights on Saturday when the two are together in person.