Elon Musk recently voiced concerns over intense media coverage of his involvement in the 2024 US presidential election and his public endorsement of former US President Donald Trump.
Speaking at a campaign town hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Musk addressed a recent cover of the German magazine Der Spiegel, which labelled him as “Public Enemy No. 2” for his political actions. “I’m like, enemy number two of what? Uh, democracy? I mean I’m pro-democracy. I’m literally trying to uphold the Constitution and ensure we have a free and fair election,” he said.
Tesla boss joked about needing to “cancel my open car parade” and “definitely upgrading [his] security” due to the increased threats for his decision to support Trump. Musk has been actively campaigning for Trump, particularly in Pennsylvania, since attending a rally in Butler earlier this month. “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” he posted following July 13 Trump rally shooting.
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Musk is annoyed by the ‘radical left’
During the town hall, Musk admitted he has been unsettled by the growing intolerance from the “radical left,” saying, “Sometimes I’m a little shook by the things that I see.”
Despite “dramatically increasing my risk of being assassinated”, he felt, “The stakes are so high that I feel that I have no choice not to do it.”
Musk also tweeted, along with an image of the Der Spiegel cover, “With their relentless hit pieces, legacy mainstream media are actively encouraging the assassination of Donald Trump and now me.”
As part of “endorsing Trump,” the SpaceX CEO announced that he would award random supporters $1 million for signing an online petition supporting the First and Second Amendments. The petition is open only to registered voters living in one of seven key swing states, which angered many who accuse Musk of attempting to “buy the election” and committed a “felony”.
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Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro told NBC’s Meet the Press, “There are real questions with how he is spending money in this race, how the dark money is flowing.”
“I think it’s something that law enforcement could take a look at…it does raise some serious questions.”
