Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leader Elon Musk revealed something President Donald Trump didn’t know — and it involved the timing of Musk’s endorsement of the then-Republican presidential candidate.
The two sat down for an interview with Fox News anchor Sean Hannity that aired Tuesday nigh
“I was going to do it anyway,” Musk said about his endorsement of Trump.
Musk announced his endorsement after a gunman shot Trump in the ear at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. This appeared to speed up the endorsement.
“That was it?” Hannity asked.
“That was a precipitating event,” Musk responded.
“That sped it up a little bit?” Trump asked Musk. “I didn’t know that.”
Musk responded, “It sped it up, but I was going to do it anyway.”
— DailyKnower (@DailyKnower) February 19, 2025
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That moment played an important part in how the election unfolded.
“Not even just that he has endorsed [Trump], but the fact that now he’s becoming an active participant and showing up and doing rallies and things like that,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) told the New York Times in October.
Fetterman explained Musk had the charisma and success Vice President Kamala Harris needed on her side.
“I mean, [Musk] is incredibly successful, and, you know, I think some people would see him as, like, a Tony Stark,” said Fetterman, making a reference to the Marvel Comics character.
“Democrats, you know, kind of make light of it, or they make fun of him jumping up and down and things like that. And I would just say that they are doing that at our peril, Fetterman added.
Fetterman spoke about the importance of Musk’s endorsement, per Fox News.
“Endorsements, they’re really not meaningful often, but this one is, I think. That has me concerned,” the senator added.
